Prisoner
by Saffronica612
Summary: Stockholm Syndrome-"describes the behavior of victims who, over time, become sympathetic to their captors." Starling has been defeated and taken to Cyclonia, but as hard as she fights back, no one is prepared for what happens there...DA/S
1. Captured

Author's Note: I am so bad. I am really, really bad, but despite the fact I have so many stories going, I just can't stop starting new ones. The idea just hit me, and it was filling my head, and I knew I'd never get any rest until I typed it out, so here it goes…

Summary- Stockholm Syndrome-"describes the behavior of victims who, over time, become sympathetic to their captors." Starling has been defeated and taken to Cyclonia, but as hard as she fights back, no one is prepared for what happens there...DA/S. Is written from Starling's POV.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks. Enjoy!

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I sped through the air, blasts of energy scorching the air right and left of my skimmer, but I couldn't help but feel satisfied with my impromptu raid on Terra Bogatron.

Yes, I know—Starling and impromptu, two things that you'd never guess would go together. Just like Starling and irresponsible, or Starling and happy, or Starling and fun, or Starling and carefree.

I'm a very different person than I was five years ago. It was just five years, five years to the day, when I was sixteen, fresh out of the Sky Knight Academy, and chosen by the Interceptors. It took less than a year for them to become more than just friends--my family. Less than a year for the disgusting mutants called Raptors to rip them away from me. I only survived because I was tough, tough and lucky.

So for five years I had lived on my own, and ignored the offers of help from other Sky Knight squadrons. Even the Storm Hawks, who reminded me of myself when I was younger, I turned down—it was just too hard to let anyone get close to my already bleeding heart. I became cool and logical, a revered fighter, and utterly obsessed with ridding Atmos of evil. No one should have to go through what I had gone through. No one deserves to be orphaned at age three because of Cyclonians, and then, when you truly start to open up again for the first time, have everyone dear to you ripped away again. It was easier to be bitter than to risk such pain.

Today was the day that my dreams came true, before the dreams were turned into a nightmare, so today was the day I hated Repton the most.

Thus the impromptu raid on Terra Bogatron. I was flying, and I was hit by the brilliant idea. It was stupid, it was irresponsible, and it was fun.

I guess I still was a kid underneath. Life had twisted me, made me hard, but I was just a little girl. _Well, little girls can still kick and scream_, I thought grimly, violet energy coursing through me as I zapped down one of Repton's gang with my nunckucks. Oh, yeah, I was enjoying every second of this.

A blast of red light hit my skimmer, bringing me back to the present. One of the spineless turds must have called for backup, as a bunch of Talons were in front of me. I laughed, surprising even myself, then twisted, dodging more blows and flew straight at them.

Did I have a death wish today or what? I mean, raiding an enemy Terra and now a suicidal frontal assault on these Talons.

Deep down, I think a part of me died on that fateful day, when I watched _them_ die, helpless to intervene. I've been living for five years on borrowed time. If today is the day I go down, at least they can say I went out with a bang.

Once I decided that I was, after all, going to die, it was a lot easier to face the Talons. I shot a few down, then, not bothering to pull up, whipped through their tight formations before coming out behind them. The Raptors, who lacked my aerial finesse, crashed right into their Cyclonian allies.

Starling 1, Cyclonians, 0. Take that, you nasty, evil—_WHAM!_ Another blast of red energy hit my skimmer, and my wing started smoking. Biting my lip, I flew towards another three Talons, one stroking his mustache. They didn't move their skimmers. Big mistake.

_KABOOM!_ I leapt off my skimmer at the last second, landing on another Cyclonian's wing, as my sky ride crashed on and took down all three of the idiots who had been too confident to move. I quickly pushed the Talon off, sending him screaming down towards the Wasteland with his companions, until their parachutes kicked in.

I turned the skimmer around, grinning. This one was heavier and responded less than what I was used to, so I made a mental note. The huge force of Cyclonians looked a lot less cocky about fighting me now.

"Ssstupid humans! She's just a little girl," Repton hissed.

"Oh, really?" I taunted. "Then come take me yourself!" Revenge, sweet revenge. Today was my lucky day.

I shot a few blasts of purple light at him, which he dodged and deflected easily. Our skimmers began circling one another, our eyes locked. We were both predators, hunting for the kill.

He threw his glowing knife and it whipped around like a boomerang, towards my heart. I yanked the skimmer to the side but the controls were slower than I was used to, and the weapon slit my arm. _Stupid mental note, this is where you're supposed to come in handy!_

I jumped up, timing it so I did my 'special move' on Repton just as he was reaching to catch his knife, and was thus distracted. It worked, throwing him off his skimmer as he flew unconscious through the air. Now all I needed was one more blow to his helpless, unconscious form, and…

The Talons were reforming around him, protecting him from me, and his gang grabbed him and whisked him off. My arm was bleeding fairly heavily, now, but I was angry. I would stop myself from blacking out with sheer willpower.

Two Talons stupidly got too close to me, and my nunchucks whipped out, a whirl of purple crystals, destroying their skimmers. The rest of the Talons stared uncertainly at me. I must have been quite a sight, blood dripping from my arm, a desperate and probably maniacal gleam in my eye, I imagine quite an evil smile. They were being intimidated, by me, of all people, when there was almost no fight left in me. Ha.

There was a hum, signifying more skimmers approaching. Seriously, was calling for help the only thing these guys were good for? I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. More to bring down with me.

I launched myself into them, whirling, slashing, trying to stay alive, and losing all rational thought. I'm not sure how long I was like that. I'm not sure how many of them I took down, before I heard that voice.

"Give it up, kid."

I whirled, whipping my nunchucks down in a potentially-fatal blow which he easily deflected with his red energy-blade. Our bodies locked as we strained against each other. I stared into his merciless crimson eyes, refusing to be intimidated. "I never lose. So that mean's you're going to, sweetheart."

"You never lose? Oh, I suppose all those fights with Aerrow don't count," I said in a syrupy voice. His eyes narrowed. I, on the other hand, smiled, enjoying his anger. "And I have a name. It's Starling of the Interceptors."

"Oh, yes, Star-girl of the dead squadron, who hasn't heard of you?" I gritted my teeth, ignoring him and his insults. The only thing that mattered was this fight.

In the end, he proved stronger, hurling me backwards onto the nose of his skimmer. I jumped back to my feet, blinking sweat out of my eye. Reaching a hand up, I discovered that it wasn't sweat, it was blood. I spat at him, whirling my weapon and looking for an opening.

"Look, give up now, Star-girl, and I won't have to hurt your pretty little face," he taunted. I ignored him, watching carefully, waiting—NOW! I darted it, whipping my weapon back up, but he was too fast, and blocked it easily. "You'll have to do better than that," he laughed.

I tried to kick out his knee, but only succeeded in disrupting my own balance and hurting my foot. He laughed, pushing me back lightly. I stumbled, and fell on my back again, but this time, I couldn't leap up. This time, his red energy blade crackled at my throat.

"You're brave, I'll give you that. Brave, determined, or incredibly stupid. Most likely a mix of the three. You'll make a good Cyclonian Talon, if the process doesn't kill you."

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So what do you think? Is it hopeless, or should I start writing the next chappie so it's ready to post tomorrow? You're the judge! Just hit that Review Chapter/Story button. It's that easy!


	2. Journey to Cyclonia

Author's Note: I want to start out with a few shout outs to my reviewers. Yeah, I actually got reviews, and it's been one day! You people are amazing!

The Fallen One: In this fiction, Starling is twenty-one, and today was an extremely hard day for her, because it was the day she first met the Interceptors, so yeah, she's out of character. Also, we see so little of Starling in the show that it's hard to tell what she's really like.

Helliexx: I feel like you're reading all my stories! I mean, you're one of the only ones who reviews continually on "Being Cyclonis," and—well, thank you so much for reading and reviewing so much! You're awesome!

Hawk-Masters: Thanks for the review! This story is continuing! I hope you like the next chapter!

Zapwing: I totally know the feeling! I absolutely hate reading a beginning to a story, and wanting more, but the story stops. I mean, if I were reading the fanfic and I didn't get a second chapter, _I _would hunt me down and kill me. Though I'm not really sure how you planned to locate me. Starling is awesome! Thanks for reading and reviewing.

For all you people who have questions, concerns, comments, or just want to randomly write "hi" (I still haven't gotten a review that randomly says "hi" and I really want one so I can brag that I got a review that randomly says "hi." So if you have nothing better to do…) just review!

I do not own the Storm Hawks. I doubt I could write a longer introduction if I tried. Time to begin Chapter Two!

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"So, do you want to tell me what you were doing on Terra Bogatron? Spill the beans? It would probably save you a lot of painful torture, you know."

Despite the fact that I knew the Cyclonians would never believe that I was there because I got angry at the whole stupid world, I didn't say anything.

"I didn't think so. I mean, really, you Sky Knights are so predictable. Always so worried about your stupid codes of honor. Honor doesn't do squat in the real world. You might as well speak, save yourself some trouble. You'll be in a lot of it when we get to Cyclonia."

_When we get to Cyclonia._ I had already been captured by Talons, and was being hauled off to the most feared Terra on the Atmos. But of course, it would be too much to ask for to have me ride with anyone but him.

I was on the Dark Ace's skimmer, all tied up, sprawled across his lap. Despite the humiliation of not being allowed to sit on my own, I was forced to listen to his various insults about how I fought like a girl, or how Sky Knights were stupid. _When we get to Cyclonia._ Cyclonia couldn't come soon enough for me.

"I know," I replied in a fake-sweet voice. "I absolutely love it there! It'll be so nice to see it all again. I wonder if I'll be given my old room, or has Master Cyclonis taken it down, embarrassed she could be outwitted by a Sky Knight?"

He slapped me across the face. "You can insult me all you want, girl," he growled, "but show respect for the Master."

"You know, I find it funny that you call me 'girl,' and serve a child seven years younger than me," I joked. Ever heard about digging yourself in deeper? Well, that's just what I was doing, only I was enjoying it too much.

"She is not a child, Star-girl. She is the Master."

_Star-girl._ I hated that name almost as much as I hated him. My name, _Starling_, was the last thing I had from my parents, the only thing that Cyclonia couldn't take away from me. "Oh, I'm sorry, Darkie, but I still don't see the difference."

He decided to ignore the second part. "Calling me a nickname already? You must really like me. Well, I'm sorry to smash your hopes, darling, but I don't date Sky Knights."

"It never would have worked out," I replied cordially, deciding offence was the best defense. "You see, I don't date backstabbing murdering traitors."

He glared at me so angrily that for a second, my resolve wavered. It was his stupid red demon eyes—no one should have that color gaze naturally, and it set me off balance. Then he started laughing. "You think you can bait me into killing you before we get there? You have more guts than I expected."

"Well, the plan was to annoy you until your brain exploded, but seeing as you don't have one, I guess that won't work." He ignored my insults. "On to 'plan B.'"

"What is your 'Plan B'? Wait for your squadron to come rescue you? Oh, wait, your squadron is dead."

I would have killed him right then and there if I hadn't been tied up.

"I doubt it involves a change of heart and an instant conversion to the Cyclonian side—that would be no fun. Maybe calling to that group of mangy kids for help? Or somehow overpowering me, and taking over my skimmer?"

Both of his hands were on the controls, now, so it was my chance. "Close enough," I hissed, and I head-butted his elbow as hard as I could. I scampered for the wing.

He lost control of the skimmer for about a second before he steadied himself in the air. "That's your genius plan?" he snorted. "I can just grab you again."

"Not if I jump," I said, then I threw myself over the edge.

I was soaring through the air, flying. It felt quite liberating. I was weightless. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ I thought. _I wasn't good enough to save you. I couldn't even avenge you. I can only hope to join you._

A pair of strong arms grabbed me, pulling me from my plummet into an uncomfortably tight embrace. Oh, yeah, Dark Ace had gliders. I forgot.

For a moment I was surprised that I was considered important enough for him to plunge after me, but then, I realized that to him, this was all a game. This was some stupid power struggle, and if I went on my own terms, then I'd win.

"You're not getting away that easily, sweetheart."

"It's Starling, you monster!"

"Star-girl, you'd think that they would teach Sky Knights some manners. I mean, no 'thank you for saving my life'?"

I hated him. I really hated him. "You freaking hypocrite! I've seen you push Talons off their skimmers in battle because yours has been destroyed. Is that the Cyclonian 'thank you'? Is it? And if you expect me to show any once of respect towards anything that freaking Cyclonian, you're wrong. Your Master, your empire, and you can burn in hell for all I care!"

He chucked. "You finally cracked, girl. I was wondering how long it would take to get a show of temper from you."

"I'm not a girl. I'm twenty-one!"

"You're still afraid to use swear words. In my opinion, that makes you still a child."

"Maybe being a child isn't so bad, since the group of children called the Storm Hawks seem to keep defeating you!"

He laughed again. What is it with evil people and their laughing? "You can't wound my pride. It's cute to see you trying." He had flown back to his skimmer, but instead of depositing me on my seat, he clutched me tightly with one hand and steered with the other.

"You're not going to let me go, are you?" I said, deflated.

"Nope," he replied cheerfully. "Can't be giving you a chance to commit suicide again, darling. You're to young for that."

Did I mention that I hate him?

After a couple of hours of flying—and I'm sure my ribs are bruised, that stupid Talon didn't loosen his grip one bit—we decided to land and make camp. We were on the border between Cyclonian and Atmosian territory, and it was deemed a couple tents would be more inconspicuous than a Cyclonian battle cruiser. The Cyclonians may be evil, bullies, and cowards, but they're not stupid. Well, Snipe is an exception.

The Talons made camp, but the Dark Ace stayed at my side. I'm not really sure what he thought I could do—my arms were tied, my ankles were tied now, in fact, I couldn't really move at all.

The Talons had set up a couple of tents, and a fire in the middle, and were now making stew. I suppose it smelled delicious to some, but it was just repulsive to me. I was a vegetarian, and I wouldn't eat Cyclonian stew, even if it didn't have meat, if my life depended on it. I told 'Darkie' this when he asked.

"That's fine. You'll get hungry soon enough," was all he said.

The Talons were sitting around the campfire, joking, roasting marshmallows—and don't get me started on those, who would want to eat lumps of sugar? What surprised me was they showed a camaraderie that I had seen in very few places before. It was the trust that these people had your back, and they knew all your embarrassing secrets. It reminded me of a family, of a squadron. This kind of unnerved me, because I had never thought of Cyclonians as people before.

"Hi." I looked up to see a Talon, one of the younger ones, standing in front of me, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Um, I'm Matthew. What's your name?" I didn't answer. It doesn't matter if he was trying to be friendly, that didn't change what he was—the enemy. I purposefully didn't tense any of my muscles, I just ignored him. "Um, my friends were wondering why you didn't eat dinner."

"Is this some sort of dare?" I asked scornfully.

He looked bashful. "Yeah. I mean, if it's too personal, I could tell them—"

"I only eat human Talons, raw," I growled.

He laughed nervously. "You have a sense of humor."

"Or do I?" I launched myself at him, pinning him down with my momentum and body weight. With my arms and legs tied, there wasn't much I could do, but he was freaking out so much that he didn't resist. I reached down to his belt, groping for his dagger, using it to try to cut myself free. I couldn't get my wrists, but I managed to free my ankles and the rest of my body before getting up, panting heavily.

I left the trembling Talon, this Matthew, on the ground, eyes searching for the skimmers. They were all the way across the campground. Already, some Talons were noticing Matthew's absence and the few noises that I'd made in my desperate attack. I couldn't go for a stealthy escape, so I had to go for the intimidation factor.

Screaming bloody murder, I charged across the camp, waving my dagger in my still-bound hands. Most of the Talons jumped out of the way, terrified. The Dark Ace was no where to be seen.

I had just reached the skimmers when he stepped out from behind a tree, energy blade glowing. "Yield," he said. "There's no way you can win this battle."

I leapt at him, dagger raised. He easily blocked it, but I twisted my wrist as my dagger slid down his larger blade. The red energy quickly burned through the ropes binding me, and though it cut my wrists a bit, the heat cauterizing the wounds. I jumped away as quickly as I had attacked, my wrists now free.

"You might want to yield," I taunted, "Now that this battle is a bit less one-sided." His eyes narrowed with anger.

"There's no way you can get away, not so near to Cyclonian territory and with all my Talons on you."

"Darkie, are you actually nervous that you might be defeated? Don't you get it—I don't think I'm going to get away, but I'll settle with completely and utterly humiliating you!"

He smiled. "Good. I was afraid that I would go the day without any good fights, and that always makes me sad." I ignored him. He was the kind of person who fought by baiting someone, and if I refused to take the bait, then I had the advantage. Unfortunately, he seemed to understand that I wasn't going to be so easily angered, so he concentrated fully on the fight.

I jumped forward, faking a slash to the chest and leaving my knee exposed, which he quickly swept. However, I was expecting this, and I rolled over his leg stabbing his side. His armor deflected the blow.

My knife wasn't strong enough to pierce his superior armor, so I changed my fighting style to aim for his face and hands. However, he saw the shift and began to change his own technique to keep me further from him.

I needed something to give me an edge, then I realized, if I was going to Cyclonia, I might as well die, because that's all I'd do there. If I fought not caring if I'd die or not, he'd either be forced to kill me, in which I'd get what I want, or he'd have to pull back to not hurt me, in which I'd win.

I leapt straight for his head, and, of course, he stuck his sword out straight towards me, giving me ample time to change course. I didn't. His eyes widened in surprise. I felt like I was going in slow motion. It was a deadly game of chicken, and he tried to guess if I were crazy enough to impale myself in this suicidal attack. My eyes narrowed. You bet I was.

At the very last second, he pulled his blade out of the way, giving me my target, his throat. I let myself continue towards it. He wouldn't have enough time to block now.

He moved out of the way so quickly he body was a blur, his hands whipping up and catching mine, throwing me to the ground. He grabbed my dagger as I fell, and held me there, knife at my throat.

"Kill me, please, please just kill me now, it will be long, drawn out, and painful in Cyclonia. Just end it now, please," I begged. Then I cursed at myself for showing such weakness.

The Dark Ace seemed genuinely sorry. He just shook his head, and held me down as the Talons brought him another rope.

"Then knock me out, because I swear, if I'm conscious I will not come quietly. You will have to drag me kicking and screaming all the way to Cyclonia."

"That offer at least I can fulfill," he said, raising his arm with the hilt of the dagger. The last thing I heard was a dull thud before a star of pain exploded in my head and the world went black.

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Do you like the second chapter? Do you hate it? Do you want another (it should be up tomorrow, unless I get absolutely no reviews)? Do you want to randomly say "hi"? Well, press the "Review Chapter/Story" button below! Please!


	3. Pain

Author's Note: I want to apologize-I said that this would be up a couple of days ago, but I didn't have time to finish. Sorry! It's really hard, I've got three stories going at once, plus whatever random one-shots my mind comes up with!

I was thoroughly shocked at the number of reviews, and how positive they were!

Helliexx: Thanks! I'll try to update as fast as possible!

Bergie: Hi! You officially get my "Awesome Reviewer Award" for being the first person to randomly tell me "hi" in a review! Thanks so much!

Pascy: Hi, too! You also get an "Awesome Reviewer Award." Thanks for reading all my stories! I'm not really sure how I update so quickly either…I'm slowing down a bit, but I will still try to add new chapter to all my stories ever day or too.

The Fallen One: Thanks! Yeah, she really hates him, doesn't she? I tried to make it realistic, especially this chapter—well, I'm not going to say any more, I don't want to give anything away.

Thank you so much, all of you, for reviewing. Every review means so much to me, and I'm really grateful for you to take the time and effort to tell me what you think. In my opinion, people who read and review stories are the coolest ever!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The first thing I noticed was the pain. I kept my eyes closed, determined not to give away the fact that I had regained consciousness. My whole body throbbed with soreness, but my wrists hurt the most. I decided that I was shackled, and shackled tightly.

Someone extremely strong shook me so hard I felt like my brain would fly out of my ears. With supreme effort, I remained completely limp.

"I think she's dead." It was a low voice, the person who was shaking me. I tried to remember the Talon whom I had affiliated that voice with. Snipe, that was it. The big, stupid one.

"If you killed her—" This was a sharp female voice, who I assumed was his sister Ravess.

"It's not my fault if she's more fragile then she looks! She didn't fight like a weakling." It was a familiar voice, the Dark Ace—no, _Darkie_. I felt a shred of warmth in my chest. Despite all that I was going to go through, I still took pride in the fact that he thought I was a good fighter. "Besides, if I killed her, which I didn't, you idiot, her chest is moving, then I've only saved you the trouble." They couldn't respond to that; he outranked them and he was right.

The shaking stopped, but the hands were still grabbing me. I decided to make my move. My wrists were bound, but they were in front of me. Giving no warning that I was going to attack, I shoved my clenched hands forward, into his groin. My eyes flashed open as I leapt over his crumpled form, swinging my fists towards the woman like a bludgeon. She moved her head out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough to dodge me entirely. I plowed into her shoulder, knocking her down. I shoved my elbow across her throat, using my arm to choke her.

I heard laughter behind me, and I realized that the Dark Ace wasn't going to help the siblings. I could barely believe my ears. Were things really that barbaric on Cyclonia? I mean, everyone's heard 'It's a dog-eat-dog world,' but this was worse. You don't laugh at your teammates when they need your help.

Someone grabbed the scruff of my neck and lifted me off Ravess with one hand. It was Snipe, who had recovered enough from my previous blow. Ravess stood, massaging her neck. The Dark Ace hooted with laughter. "I told you she was a little fighter!"

Ravess glared at him. "Yes, some warning would have been nice, when you dumped your not-so-unconscious prisoner into the cell. So what do you want us to do with her?"

The Dark Ace glanced at me, his gaze lingering. I tried to kick Snipe in the shins, but he didn't respond at all. "Oh, I'm sure Master Cyclonis will want to see her eventually. Until then, do what you wish with her."

She turned to me. "So, little prisoner, what should we do with you?"

I chose sarcastic. "Well, I've heard of all your legendary torture in Cyclonia. Do what you want to me—I'm not going to crack. Only, I beg…"

Her eyes narrowed. "What? A special request? We don't get this that often."

"Please don't make me listen to your music. Pain, I can take. Your music—I think I'll die."

She was really mad now. Oh, she was far easier to rile up than the Dark Ace. If I weren't being hauled off to the Cyclonian torture chambers, this would be fun. Even so, it was nearly worth it.

Snipe held me above a barrel of water. "Now, do you want to tell us about what you were doing on Terra Bogatron, or any new strategies of the Sky Knight Council?" Ravess asked coolly.

"Nope!" I replied.

Ravess sighed, pretending to be upset. "Well, we always do have to ask nicely the first time. Snipe—"

I couldn't hear the rest, because my head was pushed into the bucket of water. However, I had taken a deep breath before, so I could hold out. I squirmed around, trying to break his grip and spill as much of the water as possible. Finally, when I thought I was going to cave in and inhale the icy liquid, he yanked my hair up.

"Anything you want to say, dearie?"

I panted for a couple seconds, trying to regain my breath. "Yeah, I'm still a bit thirsty, so if you wouldn't mind, could I have another drink please?"

The last think I saw before I was plunged back into the watery hell was Ravess's furious face. _You stupid Cyclonians, you've got your hands full_, I thought. _I don't fear death, because you are your pet lizards took away my reason for living._

Ravess held a nasty looking leather whip with metal spikes on the end. Snipe was sitting in a corner, destroying a sandwich. I would say "eating," but he smushed it before it reached his mouth. It really was funny, how stupid the strong man was.

Ravess brought the whip down on my back, tearing open my thin Sky Knight uniform and searing my flesh. I felt the warm dribble of blood down my back. I bit my tongue so not to scream. A metallic, coppery taste filled my mouth.

I could take pain. Hadn't I lived in pain for five years, the pain of being the last remaining Interceptor? In truth, physical pain was easier than the emotional kind. Physical pain you could deal with. Physical pain would heal. Wounds on your heart always stayed open, and hurt you even more, just when you thought you'd gotten over it. My mind flashed back to just a few weeks ago, when I was reminded yet again that I was the Sky Knight without a squadron.

_"I don't know what to say."_

_"Say that you'll stay."_

They had looked so hopeful, and it nearly hurt as much as the memories of my old squadron to say no. Nearly.

How could they imagine that I could ever join them? I would never be anything but an Interceptor, because I had to keep their memory alive. I had to avenge them.

The Storm Hawks. The poor kids. They were all orphans, just like me, and they were fighting this stupid war, just like me, but for different reasons. They were so pure, so good. They thought they were fighting to make the world a better place. I had long since lost such good, albeit naïve, intentions. Only one thing kept me going: hate, revenge. For so long I had been able to fool everyone, even myself, with cool logic and hidden emotions.

_Crack!_ The whip came down again, opening another searing wound across my back.

In a twisted way, I needed the Cyclonians, and Repton, because they gave me a purpose in life. They gave me someone to hate besides myself. Because in the end, it was my fault that I hadn't been good enough to save them. So really, I deserved this torture.

_Crack!_ My back was slashed open for the third time, and my resolve began to waver. _Please, let it stop_, I thought. I hated myself even more for being weak, for being unable to take it. Still, at least I didn't scream.

I raised my eyes, and I saw him leaning on the doorway, watching. Ravess hadn't noticed him yet. I pleaded through my gaze for him to tell her that it was enough.

_Crack!_ The whip came down again, and I bit my tongue harder. I wasn't going to scream, I wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. Now, when I looked up, my gaze was accusing, filled with hate. _You had the power to stop this, but you'd rather watch me suffer. And I hate you for it._ He smirked, like he could read my mind. He was enjoying my pain.

_Crack!_ For the fifth time, the whip tore open my bloodied back. Oh, how I hated them all.

Ravess raised the whip again. "I think that's enough," came his cool voice from the doorway.

It only made me hate him more. It was a show of his control: he could make me hurt, he could stop the pain. It was all some twisted game to him. I felt sick.

Ravess glared. "We were just starting to have fun," she complained, but she could do no more to question his orders.

"Master Cyclonis wishes to see her, and I think she wants her alive."

So he thought I was so weak that I couldn't take five lashes?

Ravess stomped up to me, slitting the ropes that bound my wrists to the pole, cutting my hands in the process. Suddenly, it hit me.

Master Cyclonis wanted to see me. My torture wasn't over; no, it was just beginning.

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Nice ending, eh? Well, you know what I'll say: review, review, review! Next chapter will hopefully be up by the end of the weekend!


	4. Crystals and Floors

Author's Note: A few shout outs…(btw, I do shout-outs if I'm given reviews that I can respond to, e.g. there is a question or a comment. Well, that's kind of what a review is, so, um, I'm going to stop rambling and making a fool of myself.)

Zapwing—Yeah, Starling is awesome. I'm mad at Ravess too, but then again, she is evil. I feel really bad for Starling too; she's had it so hard, and no one really gets to see how she feels. Hopefully she'll get a happy ending. I'm actually not really sure how I'm going to do that…I'll try to make sure she doesn't die, at least.

The Fallen One—thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoy!

Helliexx—I swear, you've read and reviewed every story I've written. Thanks so much, and you're awesome! You rock!

Awesome Reviewer—Hey! Everyone! Look over here! "It's good to get an award for basically doing nothing!" All reviewers are the best people in the world, because they take the time and energy to write a few sentences of their opinion on the chapter. So don't be lazy, be awesome! Review!

Bergie—Yeah, I like to pair up my favorite characters, which happen to be Cyclonis, Dark Ace, and Starling. Thanks again for reviewing!

I don't own the Storm Hawks. Next chapter, coming right up! Right below all the zeroes! Scroll down so you can see the zeroes, and there will be a chapter below it! I promise!

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Three Talons had to drag me to the throne room, my hands in shackles and three ropes attached to my arms, which they were trying to drag me by. They were having a fairly hard time, too—I was rushing forward, falling back, trying to make them bang into each other, and fighting in every way possible. There was no way I was going to make things easy on my captors.

"We have located and secured the mine, Master," came a hiss from inside the throne room. Nightcrawlers. I hated them nearly as much as I hated Raptors. "No one even knew it was there. It is Cyclonia's now."

"It is mine now," came the haughty reply. "You know, I'm surprised—for once you actually didn't fail. Though Nightcrawlers are my elite forces, not the usual trashy Talons." Master Cyclonis, the fourteen-year-old girl with an obsession with crystals and taking over the world. I might have felt bad for her, being so lonely with no one who cared for her, except for the fact I knew many people—that kid Storm Hawk Aerrow, for one—who had horrible childhoods, too, and they weren't evil because of it.

I leapt at one of the Talons, kicking out his knee with a satisfying _Crack!_, and the other two who were holding the ropes that bound me were pulled into each other, cracking heads like they were in some lame comic. They let go of their ropes, and my momentum carried me forward, crashing through the doors of the grand hall.

Ravess, Snipe, Dark Ace, and every important Talon was there for her briefing. Now, she was addressing a force of about ten Nightcrawlers who were bowing before her. The sight sickened me.

I tried to rush forward, but a bunch of Talons leapt up, pointing their crystal-tipped staffs at my neck. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as Cyclonis eyed me. I think she let it stretch out longer to make me nervous. I held my ground, steadily returning her gaze. She was the one who finally broke eye contact.

"You're dripping blood on my floor," she sneered. Sure enough, there was a pool of blood forming beneath me as the wounds from my whipping were yet to close. The Talons all laughed nastily.

"I don't know why you're complaining," I shot back, "when you let filth like Raptors and Nightcrawlers in here all the time." The Nightcrawlers hissed at this insult.

"Let us kill her," the leader begged.

"In time," Cyclonis said. "I want to play with her a bit first."

The Nightcrawlers backed down, appeased for the moment. Cyclonis turned to address her Talons.

"You know, as good as old-fashioned torture is, I find crystals a lot less…messy. You see, using crystals, I can create hundreds of times more pain in her mind, while not getting my floor all gory."

"Because we all know how much you care about your precious floor," I interrupted. For a second, her face went absolutely livid, then she regained her composure.

"Yes, I do care about my floor, a lot more than a care about some Sky Knight's life."

"See, I was under the impression that your life's dream was to take over the Atmos, not become head janitor. But, hey, just goes to show how wrong first impressions can be!" I still retained the ability to come up with a witty retort for everything.

She sneered. "I find it funny that you are trying to insult me when I'm the one who holds the power here. I'm the one who will make you hurt."

"Well, I find it funny that you can't think of a better witty retort than a death threat. I mean, isn't that a bit cliché?" I was having so much fun. With a few words, the power in the room could be flipped.

"I tire of this," she replied, trying to look unperturbed. Really, I saw the rage in her eyes. "Are you going to tell us what we want to know?"

"Depends on what you want to know," I joked. "Like, if your Talons need fashion advice, because the uniform is _ugly_, or if you need a new interior decorator, because this place is just too depressing, or if you need a new janitor to clean your precious floor."

Cyclonis replied by shooting a ray of purple at me. It picked me up off the ground, covering me completely in its glowing aura. "Last chance," she growled. I remained silent.

The pain came. Cyclonis might be evil, and crazy, but she was right about one thing. Crystals hurt a lot more than any physical pain. Agony exploded all around me, through me, in me, and the barrios in my mind and heart broke.

Their faces swam before my eyes.

"_Starling! Get out of here!"_

"_No! We're a squadron, and we stick together!"_

"_Starling, that's an order!"_

_But I didn't leave. I couldn't leave. I watched as Repton sliced them open with his unforgiving knife, hugging my broken arm to my side. When he turned to me, I found the strength to fight him off, to escape. It was too late, though—I had held back, unsure. I had just watched when they died._

"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed, forcing myself back to the world of present. I dully noted that there were tears falling down my cheeks.

"So the emotionless Starling does get upset over something," Cyclonis laughed. "Just curious, what did you see?"

I remained silent, tears just streaming down my cheeks.

"Did you forget already? Do you need another look, another reminder?"

"You can't do anything to me, you witch, that's worse than what you've already done," I hissed. "Then what Cyclonia has done to me."

"Let me guess, it was you precious squadron, the Interceptors." She was enjoying this, but there was no shame in my tears. There was no shame in caring for them.

Nothing she showed me would be any worse than the nightmares I had, again and again, just seeing them die. I held my head high, and let the tears drip down.

"I have to say, you are something else," she purred. "I have Talons and commanders that are fast, smart, and good fighters. I don't have many warriors that are as stubborn as you, or have your…pride. Your spine, so to speak. Well, you have two options. You can join us, or we can kill you. It's obvious we're not getting any information from you."

She was daring me to cave in, with her threats of death. I smiled. "You got that last part right. And I think it's rather obvious what I would choose. I would rather die then betray my friends."

Surprise flashed across her face. "Your friends are dead."

"All the more reason to join them."

She looked at me, to see if I was kidding, but I was more serious than I had ever been before. I would never betray them. I would never betray their memory. I would never let them go.

"Dark Ace," she said, "What do you think of her?"

"What, don't have the courage to kill me outright, so you have to ask someone's opinion?" I interrupted, disgusted.

He ignored me. "She is very…persistent. She never gave up trying to escape, despite the overwhelming odds. She never backed down from a fight, even if she knew she would lose. It would be a pity to kill her. If you did, let her go down fighting. That's the best end for a warrior." What!?! Darkie didn't want to stab me in the gut? He had given the impression that he utterly despised me.

"Fine," Cyclonis replied, looking just as shocked as me. "Now, I was just speaking to the Nightcrawlers about their reward. They seem to want to kill her enough, and we need a bit of entertainment here. The floor's already dirty." She smiled at me, that nasty smirk of superiority. "You can even take of her shackles, give her a fighting chance."

A fighting chance. Even without my hands bound, I was completely unarmed, and weak from my loss of blood. My back burned, and I was still dizzy from whatever crystal the psychotic queen had just used on me.

I was thoroughly mad now. You had to feel bad for them; the Nightcrawlers, I mean. I was practically seeing red, and they were the thing I hated second-most, after Raptors. These ten didn't stand a chance.

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Mwahahaha—cliffhangers! Well, review if you want more! The faster you review, the sooner the next chapter gets written and posted. Next up, a battle with the Nightcrawlers (if you couldn't figure that out from the cliffhanger, then, um, sorry for spoiling it.)


	5. Nightcrawlers

Author's Note: Warning—this chapter is quite a bit gory. I mean, it is Starling and the Nightcrawlers fighting to the death, so there will be death, and death can be gory. If you have a weak stomach, then…well, you have been warned.

I-ay o-day ot-nay own-ay e-thay orm-Stay awks-Hay. Pig Latin and reviewers are awesome! Speaking of awesome reviewers…

Helliexx: Thanks! You always review my stories, and it makes me so happy. I usually update faster when people review (hint, hint).

Hawk-Masters: Starling is a bit busy right now in Cyclonia, but I'm sure if she were here she would thank you for your encouragement ;-) Thanks for reviewing!

Pascy: Sorry it took so long! Thanks for reading this story and "The Same Team"! Battle chapters are always fun. The Dark Ace is nice character when it comes to surprising other people; you can never really tell what's going on in his mind. He's always been a bit of a mystery…Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Zapwing: I feel really bad for Starling too. I mean, she's one of my favorite characters, and the whole story is basically all the bad things she goes though when she gets captured by Cyclonia. But she's still awesome no matter what! You know, I've noticed, Nightcrawlers do barely make any appearances in Fanfiction. Thanks for reviewing!

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As I looked at the ten Nightcrawlers, a second of doubt passed through my mind. Why was I fighting? I was going to die anyway here in Cyclonia, and as Dark Ace had pointed out, this was a better end. This was a more honorable end.

_Because sometimes no one else will fight_, came the brave little voice in the back of my mind. _Sometimes no one else but you can fight. You're Starling, and you're not going to go down like a sheep surrendered for the slaughter. You're a Sky Knight, you're an Interceptor, so fight like one._ For a moment, I felt them all next to me, then I saw their cold, lifeless faces in my head again.

I had my reason to live again. There was no one else to avenge them but me. I was the last Interceptor, and I was going to die an Interceptor, not a broken spirit. I had my reason to fight again.

All this took perhaps half a second to flash through my mind. The Nightcrawlers were still chuckling. They hadn't even fully surrounded me. Big mistake.

I leapt forward towards the closest Nightcrawler, showing my palm into its nose. There was a satisfying _CRACK_ as the cartilage gave way under the force of my blow, shoving into its brain and instantly, brutally ending its life. Poor, lucky bastard never knew what hit it. I quickly grabbed a dagger off of its flailing form as it spewed blood all over the floor before collapsing.

I heard a familiar chuckle as I stepped back, dagger clutched in one hand. "Are you sure that ten, no, I'm sorry, nine Nightcrawlers are enough, Master?" came his familiar taunting voice. Cyclonis hissed in anger.

The Nightcrawlers were reacting now, all business. Their eyes narrowed, they started circling me, trying to surround me. I stepped backwards, and they eagerly advanced forwards, then I took a small set towards them, barring my teeth. They all leapt back.

So even Nightcrawlers felt fear. Or, at least, they were smart enough to see that this wasn't going to be an easy fight. I couldn't let them corner me, though.

Too late—there was one on either side of me. I leapt over the one on my left, bringing down the dagger on the jugular vein in its neck. Blood squirted out, thick and deep red-brown, and I shoved its body into the other one, causing it to stumble. I knew I should have leapt forward and taken it out too, but my back exploded in pain as the scabs that had been forming over by lashes were ripped open yet again. I dropped to the ground on my hands and knees, gritting my teeth trying not to scream. The world was spinning and little bits were going black.

Acting purely on instinct, I forced myself up and stabbed blindly forward. To my surprise, I connected solidly with something—the chest of another Nightcrawler. Pure luck. I gritted my teeth, yanking out the dagger with a wet, squishing sound and turning to face the others.

An arm appeared around my throat, and I realized that one had gotten behind me and was putting me in a headlock. I twisted in the air, and there was a swish as another knife missed my kidney, then I shoved my dagger back as hard as I could. The grip on my neck loosened as the one holding me died. Four down, six to go.

I was dripping blood now, and I wasn't sure how much of it was mine and how much was the blood of the swine I was fighting. Somehow, I'm not really sure how, I managed to stay on my feet. There were pieces of my vision that were going black.

The remaining six were standing about ten feet away, refusing to come forward. I knelt down, keeping my eyes on them, groping the corpse of the thing I just stabbed. Jackpot—another two daggers. I threw the dagger that I held towards the middle of the six, yanking up the two from the body of my defeated enemy and charging after the knife I threw.

The first dagger went through one of the Nightcrawler's arms, pinning it through the bones and muscles to the floor. It screamed in pain. I slit its throat, ending its misery, before jumping up, slashing the stomach and chest another. It gurgled as warm red liquid and guts spewed all over.

Bile rose in my throat and my stomach heaved as the smell of raw meat and decay washed over me. My hands were stained red, and I wondered if the gore would ever wash off. What made me any different than the murders I killed? What gave me the moral high ground?

A heavy foot connected with my stomach, pushing me backwards and knocking the wind out of me. I caught it and yanked to the side sharply, hearing a satisfying crack as the Nightcrawler's leg was twisted out of its socket. I stepped forward and shoved my dagger into its chest. I heard something behind me, so I shoved my second dagger back into another Nightcrawler.

There were two left, and I was unarmed. The larger one seemed to observe this, as it bent down as if to tackle me. I sidestepped, slicing down twice with stiff hands before grabbing its neck and twisting as hard as I could. It's neck turned around 180 degrees, showing me its last expression of utter horror and pain.

I leapt to the side, and none too soon as a blast of red energy scorched the ground where I had been standing. The last Nightcrawler was fighting with crystals.

I jumped around the room, dodging, but each blast came closer and closer to hitting me. I was getting tired. It just seemed to be enjoying itself. Why was I fighting? Why was I any different than these monsters? Why did I deserve to live, when all I had done was make the people around me die. Now I had gone to the next level, straight-out killing. Either way, it was my fault. _I am different than these monsters,_ I told myself, _because it isn't the same when it's in self-defense. Now is not the time for doubts!_

The next bolt hit my feet as I was getting out of the way, and it threw me to the floor. I let myself fall, and kept my eyes in slits. Was it going to blast me again, or savor its victory? Around the room, Talons gasped loudly.

It chose the stupid option, walking over to leer above my unmoving body. Quick as lightening, I scissored my legs, taking it down. We wrestled for a few seconds, but my hands were around its throat. It punched me once, twice, three times, but I never loosened my grip. Finally, it became weaker and weaker, before it finally stopped moving. I didn't let go.

Two Talons pried me off its body. "Hey, Master," came a familiar, languid voice. "Got any Talons that you don't like? Because that was quite a show. I wouldn't mind a Round 2."

Cyclonis walked over to me, putting a single perfectly manicured finger on my heaving chest. "I would torture you to death with crystals," she said softly, "but I have better things to do." _More like you don't want to die._ I didn't have the strength to say it out loud. "I'll see that you may become familiar with the Cyclonian dungeons. You won't last three days there, I don't care how well you can kill."

The Talons dragged me out the door, and I put up a feeble resistance. I raised my head for one last glance, praying for anyone to meet my eyes. There were no sympathetic gazes, no _crimson_ gaze, to meet mine. No one looked twice as I was dragged into hell here on the earth.

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So, how was that for a fight chapter? Starling is awesome! Um, note on the last line: I wasn't sure to put "hell here on Atmos" or "hell here on earth." I put "earth" not trying to indicate "Planet Earth" but "land/earth."

I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!


	6. Nightmares

Author's Note: And the next chapter is finally up! This one is quite a bit less graphic then the last one…I wasn't really sure about this chapter, but I thought, might as well. It's tomorrow's chapter where the fun really begins!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! Starling is one of my favorites, but she appears so little in the show and in fictions overall. I thought, if no one else was doing it, why not?

The Fallen One: Yeah, poor Nightcrawlers…Starling is scary when she gets angry!

Zapwing: Thanks. Starling is awesome! Tell your shadow not to be too scared, after all, it is a shadow. Plus, only crystal-draining things like Cyclonis can kill it.

Pascy: Thanks! You get off from school? Lucky! Well, I will try to update extra fast.

Helliexx: As always, thanks! You review everything, and you're awesome! What more is there to say?

Ok, don't own the Storm Hawks, chappie is starting.

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I sat on my cot, hugging my knees trying desperately not to fall asleep. I pinched myself. I tried doing stretches, and jumping jacks. I bit my tongue until warm blood filled my mouth, causing me to gag.

My heavy eyes fluttered lower.

No, no, no, no, NO! I couldn't give in! I blinked slowly, and lacked the will to fully lift my sleepy lids again. NO!

Too late. Everything around me was white. I hadn't been strong enough to stay awake, so now I was dreaming.

Cyclonians had quite perfected the art of torturing. They used whips, brands, barrels of water, knifes, all sorts of weapons, and just anything to inflict all sorts of bodily harm. The first time they delivered food to my cell, I realized the torture didn't stop there. The food was drugged, so I refused to eat it. I didn't drink the water.

They force-fed it to me, so I stuck my fingers down my throat, barfing it up like the girls who needed so desperately to feel beautiful. At least I had a good reason. I could just picture it—_"Hey, Mom, I'm not anorexic, there are Cyclonians putting drugs in my food."_ Oh, wait; the Cyclonians had killed my parents.

When they figured out they weren't going to get me to eat, they hooked me up to an IV. I ripped it out, so they tied me down and put the needle back in. There was nothing I could do as the liquid dripped straight into my veins.

That's when I discovered why all the prisoners in the dungeons went crazy. As long as the drug was in my veins, I couldn't get any rest. I would be haunted by the phantoms of my past, trapped in horrible nightmares in my own mind.

And my stupid body was too weak to stay awake.

Everything around me was light. There was a peaceful hum to the air, but my shoulders were tense. I wasn't going to be fooled by appearances, though—there was never anything but pain in these visions.

The light dimmed to a pearly glow around me, and there were two figures holding my hand. Despite the fact that I was an adult, I barely reached their knees. My arms were stretched up, our fingers intertwined. As much as I squinted, the only thing I could see of them was light. I couldn't see their faces.

"Our darling," they cooed. "Our little Star-girl."

My blood ran cold as two things hit me: they were my parents, and they had just called me _Star-girl._ No! I was Starling! I didn't remember them at all; they died when I was three! They couldn't have called me Star-girl!

I forced myself to stop hyperventilating. None of this was real; it was just the Cyclonians playing tricks with my mind.

"Our little Star-girl," they were saying. "We love you so much."

I had never heard my parents tell me that they loved me, at least not when I could understand words. I never remembered them doing anything with me, cooking me food, playing with me, or reading me bedtime stories. The only thing I remembered of them was the lack of their presence. I had been an orphan for as long as I could remember.

Suddenly, screams cut through the air. Our surrounding solidified, and we were outside a burning house. Talons swooped down all around us, shooting red bolts of light. The male light-person, my hallucinatory father, picked me up and started running. I felt like I was three again.

The ground shook, and he fell, and there was a crack. "Take our Star-girl," he grunted.

"We can't leave you behind! You'll die," my mother/stranger protested.

"Starling, Deborah! Starling is all that matters!" he insisted. The woman grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the dying man. I never saw his face.

We ran and ran and ran, but I was stumbling and getting tired. I had never felt so out of breath before. I guess I was three in this dream.

Five Talons were standing in front us, we practically ran into them.

"Starling, back away slowly, then run, and don't look back," my mother whispered. "I love you, sweetheart. Go! Now!" Then she took out a small, weak crystal that barely had enough energy to glow, and rushed forward to meet the Talons head-on. I wanted to scream, to follow her, to help her, but my legs forced me away. I kept on running, until my foot hit a rock, and I fell, hitting my head. The world went black.

"Starling?"

My eyes were closed, but the voice was sympathetic, so I knew my torture wasn't done yet.

"Starling, are you okay?"

There was a cool hand on my forehead, and I finally cracked open my eyes, ready for the next round of pain.

I was right. The Cyclonians didn't disappoint. I stared at familiar light brown eyes, freckled cheeks, and fine silver hair. Zelpha, the mechanic and marksman for the Interceptors. I pushed myself up, noting my surroundings. I was on my old ship.

Zelpha leaned into the light, and the half of her face that had been in shadow was just bone. I tried to stifle my gasp, but surprise must have shown on my face.

"It's okay," she said. "You know that I'm dead. You've been living with it for five years. It's no different now."

Warm tears rolled down my face. "It's my fault," I sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you. I wasn't strong enough."

"Starling!" Zelpha scolded. "Calm down!"

"I'm as bad as the Cyclonians. I'm just a selfish murder and a pitiful excuse for a human being. I could save myself, but I was too scared and weak to save you. I should have saved you, but I was too weak. I don't deserve to be alive."

A sharp hand whipped across my face. "Snap out of it!" Zelpha said. "It's not your fault. You did more that we could have asked you to, and it's not your fault. So stop hating. Let go of us, and live your life."

They were my purpose, my reason. They why I got out of bed every morning, why I stayed alive, why I fought the Cyclonians to my last breath. I couldn't let them go.

_It's just mind games,_ I told myself. _This is what the Cyclonians want you to think. They want to break your spirit. This isn't real. This is their lie. Ignore it!_

I stood, to see my entire squadron standing over me. "Let us go," they pleaded. "The dead don't care for revenge. Revenge is a concept for the living, who are broken. Heal yourself. Move on."

"You're not real," I said sadly. "You're just in my mind. I won't let the Cyclonians make me weak. I won't let anyone make me weak again. I won't ever stop fighting." They just looked at me sadly as a breeze picked up. They dissolved into dust and were carried away by the wind. The world slowly went grey, then black.

"Hello, you miss me?" came a nasty hiss in the back of my mind. Nightcrawlers.

"Where are you?" I asked, clenching my fists. Around me appeared ten Nightcrawlers, all obviously dead. Behind them, the Interceptors and my parents appeared.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I can see how the Cyclonians want to torture me with memories of my loved ones, but you all mean nothing to me. You're just another defeated enemy."

The Nightcrawler chuckled. "You don't get it, do you? These aren't your loved ones that are haunting you. These are the people who you've killed."

I lost it completely. My screams echoed throughout the entire dungeon.

The problem was, this was in my mind, and I couldn't lie to myself.

_My Fault._ _It was all my fault. All of them would be living if they hadn't trusted me._

I had killed them all.

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Poor Starling, I really feel bad for her. I was thinking, what in the world could the Cyclonians do that would hurt her, then…I'm truly evil, aren't I? I'm not even going to finish that sentence.

Well, review. I'm almost done the next chapter, so I promise it will be posted tomorrow. Thanks for reading!


	7. Mercy

Author's Note: Hi! I'm back! Yippee!

Pascy: Singapore? You are lucky! But why in the world are you going to Singapore? I'll try to update every day, that's usually what I do with my stories unless I get particularly busy. This one has taken a bit of a depressing turn; you should see the next two chapters, after this one. Well, you will see them, on Sunday and Monday. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Helliexx: Thanks as always.

Zapwing: Now I feel really bad, I made your Shadow cry! I'm not really sure how, as I don't think they have tear ducts. This chapter is slightly less gloomy, so, well, enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks for reviewing! I feel bad for Starling too. Again, I'll try to update every day, at least during the weekend.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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The cell door creaked open, and a familiar figure filled the doorway. "This is really her?" he said, in an uncharacteristically nervous voice.

It had been a week since Master Cyclonis had decided to let me live, and torture me until I joined Cyclonia. A week of refusing to eat all that they gave to me, and forcing myself to barf up the stuff they force-fed me. A week of refusing all drink, and being hooked to an IV to keep me alive. A week of living in hell then nightmares from hell, which grew worse every time I closed my tired, heavy eyes.

A week of torture that I'm not sure how I survived. There was whipping, Snipe dislocated one of my shoulders, branding, and all sorts of horrible things that I didn't want to reflect upon. The only thing that kept me strong was the need for revenge. And when I say strong, I mean conscious. I was weak and helpless when I was trapped in my own head.

Any other person would be dead by now, but I guess I'm just lucky that way. I'm like one of those vermin bugs, those cockroaches—near impossible to get rid of. It was my curse: I'd lived to see my squadron die, now I'd live to survive the next day of hell.

"Hey, Darkie," I tried to say. It came out as sort of a croak/groan. It's really hard to speak when your lips are cracked and bleeding and your tongue is so swollen you can barely open your mouth. "I was starting to think you forgot I existed. Finally came down to say 'hi.' Guess what—I didn't get the same room."

"It's her all right," he said, sounding relieved. He rushed to my side and picked me up, holding me bridal-style. I tried to resist, but I could barely move. I think I put up a pretty good effort, considering.

"Sir? Where are you taking the prisoner?" The Talon at the doorway looked nervous.

The Dark Ace's voice, which had been so kind, suddenly turned downright nasty. "Are you questioning my order, boy?"

"No, sir!" The Talon replied, saluting and jumping out of the way. The Dark Ace was already gone.

We, or I should say "he," as I was only a glorified sack of potatoes, made our way up through the Cyclonian palace. From the glances that I did get, we were moving up, away from the dungeons and torture rooms. I wondered where we were going, but then I decided that I didn't care. There was nothing he could do to me to hurt me any more besides killing me, and that would be welcome now. I was done vainly clinging to this existence.

He entered a room that was a bedchamber, with an adjourning work room, armor and weapons storage closet, and a bathroom. It took me a minute to figure out that we were in his rooms. He set me down on the bed and locked the door.

When he turned to face me again, I would swear he was a different person. He still looked the same—tall, dark, well-muscled, handsome, chiseled features—but there was something in his eyes, a vulnerability, that I was sure couldn't be there. I blinked and it was gone. Hallucinations, I decided.

He glanced down at me, wrinkling his nose slightly, and I realized I was getting blood, sweat, and grime all over his covers. His problem for putting me there. "Let's get you cleaned up," he said, picking me up and carrying me to the entrance of the bathroom. "Shower controls are easy to figure out. I'll be waiting in here. Don't even think about escaping, because I've already checked everything." He set me down again, and I didn't move.

The Dark Ace had carried me up here to let me use his shower? I was definitely having a hallucination, in fact, I was probably in a coma. He let go of me, and without his support, I collapsed to the ground, unable to stand. Instantly, he was kneeling down beside me.

"How much did they hurt you?" he said in a gentle voice.

I hated him for showing me mercy, for offering me support. I didn't need any support, and if I did, I certainly didn't want it from him.

His strong hands started to carefully remove my armor. I had worn the same clothes for a week, my Sky Knight uniform, and it was in a horrible state of repair. Besides being so odious I didn't want to think about it, it was grimy, bloody, scratched up, burned, torn, and overall ruined.

I didn't have the strength to resist him, so I just sat there as he gently stripped me to my undergarments. The only time I reacted was when he pulled my shirt over my shoulder, making me raise my arm. Then, I whimpered, as my dislocated shoulder screamed in protest.

He was examining my shoulder now. "Okay, I can't hold you and get it back at the same time. You'll have to stay very still," he said softly. I couldn't nod, but I hoped that he understood.

He twisted and shoved, and my shoulder exploded in agony, then suddenly, there was relief. Something clicked and my shoulder was back in its right place. I took a deep breath, deeper than I had in a while, and tested it out, rolling it. It was still sore, but it was a great improvement to how it had felt before. "Thank you," I whispered hoarsely.

"So you do have manners, when you feel like it," came his deep reply. It sounded like he was smiling.

Strong hands grabbed me under my armpits and carried my into the bathroom. He started the shower, and waited for the water to warm. "This is going to hurt a lot," he explained, "but you need to clean those wounds. Don't worry, I'll be here."

He stepped into the shower with me, into the cleansing stream. He was right—each drop which hit my various lashes felt like I was being whipped all over again. I clenched my hands so hard that blood dripped from where my fingernails touched my palms. Still, I didn't scream at all. The entire time, he was holding me, supporting me, whispering into my ear, but I couldn't hear him. The pain took up all of my mind.

Slowly, the sensation faded, and I did feel better. I felt cleaner, more pure, less infected. I closed my eyes and, for the first time since I had arrived here, I began to relax. Under this warm rain there was still pain, but also healing.

His steady hands grabbed a washcloth and lathered it up with soap, then gently started wiping down my shoulders and my back. Of course, I was humiliated, not being able to stand on my own, and now having this _man_ have to wash me, but it felt good. Truth be told, I wasn't able to clean myself, so I kept my silence. I just stood there. One of his arms was always around my waist, keeping my upright.

When I was finally clean, he took shampoo, and began to rub it through my hair. It felt really nice, his strong fingers massaging my head. I had long since decided that I had absolutely no control over the situation, so I surrendered. I mean, it was one thing to fight back when they're torturing you, but I wasn't too stupid to see that I was being helped. _Don't bite the hand that feeds you._ As much as I hated the fact that it was coming from him, if I were healed, I could resist better, and perhaps even escape. That's what I kept telling myself.

He washed the shampoo from my hair then grabbed a comb, carefully brushing out all the knots and dirt until it hung sleek and shiny by my neck.

The water turned off, and I shivered at the cold caused by my wetness. He softly pulled me back, pressing me up against him, warming me. I didn't care that I was nearly naked; as of then, I only noticed how cold I was. He lifted me up, setting me down on another seat and getting a box out.

Torture instruments? He approached me with a syringe in his hand. "Get that thing away from me," I hissed.

He put his hands in the air. "Some of the places you were whipped need stitches. This will numb everything."

I took a deep breath, pushing down my distrust. "You can do whatever you want with your Cyclonian medicine, but you are not drugging me up." He opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it, getting out a needle and some special thread.

For about an hour he rubbed various creams and ointments into my various wounds, stitching up the worse ones. Some of them had already closed over, so he left those alone. It did hurt quite a bit, but after all that I had been through, it was a breeze. I drifted off, not really to sleep, but to a place where I felt detached from the world and everything was dull. Finally, I was all bandaged up.

He pulled a large shirt over my head, one that came down nearly to my knees, then carried me back to the bedroom. He tenderly laid me on his bed (which was now clean, a part of mind noticed), and tucked me in.

All my instincts screamed against relaxing. Despite the way he had treated me, he was still the enemy, and I had no idea why he was trying to patch me up. Still, I was warm, I wasn't hurting, and I was so, so tired.

He laid a hand on my forehead, comforting me. "Go to sleep, Starling. Rest, and heal. You're safe here, I promise. Go to sleep."

I did as he told.

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Ok, that chapter was kind of a mix of sweet and plain old creepy…

The faster I get reviews, the faster I update. So please, review! (Actually, I already told you that the next chapter was going up on Sunday, but if I get enough reviews, I might change my mind and post it tonight. So review anyway!)

Thanks for reading!


	8. Fever

Author's Note: Don't own the Storm Hawks. Okay, this chapter is a bit short, and this is where the story starts to get a bit dark again. I'll say no more…

Helliexx: Thanks! Yeah, I figured that any civil DA/S interaction would be pretty weird, just because they're both sworn enemies and all…

Pascy: Cyclonis hasn't found out yet; I think there will be a chapter where she does, but that's not for quite a while. Dark Ace and Starling still have a couple problems they have to work through. Good for you, with your trip and all!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thank you so much! I am so honored. I'm really glad you like it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Zapwing: Tell Demongo 'hi' from me. And you can't be too mad at Dark Ace; you knew that this was a DA/S pairing from the beginning. And what's so bad about the Dark Ace? I mean, besides the fact that he's evil, he is pretty cute…(don't tell Cyclonis I said that)

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I felt warm, and it was good. But slowly, I grew hotter and hotter until my blood was fire through my veins. I was burning, burning, burning and it felt horrible. Was this hell?

Something cool was on my forehead, and it brought me back to the real world. I wasn't sure which was worse—the torment in my sleeping state, which was unbearable, or the agony of my body now, which was just as painful, and a lot more real.

I tried to open my eyes, but it felt like the lids were glued shut. With supreme effort, I wrenched them open, causing them to tear up. Everything was hazy, and I was confused. Where was I? Why was I burning?

A familiar face was swimming above me: black hair, chiseled features, red eyes. Who was it?

Something clicked. I was in Cyclonia, and this was the Dark Ace. I had to kill him. I had to kill them all.

My groggy mind tried to catch up with my reasoning. I was in a comfortable bed. I strained to remember the past week: pain, torture, and more pain. Most of it was just a blur. However, I knew this wasn't my cell. With chilling certainty, I realized I was in his rooms. Sleeping in his bed. _And I wasn't wearing my own clothes._

Oh, God. All the evidence pointed towards one thing. If I could have burned more, I would have, but my cheeks were already flushed from the fever.

I vainly tried one more time to remember anything from the night before, but my mind was completely blank. That lead back to the first option: kill him.

With energy I didn't even know I had in me, I sprang up, knocking him down to the floor and pinning him down. I was sitting on his chest, my hands clutching his throat. I tried to strangle him, but my arms were trembling so much, and he was breathing, so I doubted that I was succeeding. My back ripped open with pain. A detached part of me noted that he could have easily fought back, but he wasn't.

"Starling, it's okay, it's me," he said calmly.

"I noticed. That's why I'm trying to kill you," I spat, trying unsuccessfully again to tighten my grip.

Images came back to me from last night. Standing in the shower with him, half-naked. Suddenly, I didn't _want_ to remember anymore.

"Starling, it's the fever, it's making you act weirdly. Just relax before you tear open your stitches."

_My stitches._ Everything came back to me at once: him carrying me up, showering me, stitching me up, putting me in makeshift pajamas, and lying me down in his bed. Relief flowed through me, cutting off my anger and embarrassment. Suddenly, the pain in my back hit me and I didn't have the strength to hold myself up anymore. I collapsed onto him.

"Sheesh, I wouldn't have woken you up if I knew you would react like that," he laughed. "Really, I don't know of anyone else who has the stubbornness to strangle someone when they themselves are in such a state." I just sat there on his chest in a heap. Finally, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, carefully sliding me into his lap. My back was burning, burning, burning. I couldn't move. I didn't trust myself to speak, because I knew I'd start screaming and crying.

He picked me up and laid me on a cool, hard surface, a table, before taking out a knife and cutting the long shirt straight down the center. His hands quickly cut the bandages from my back. Again, I felt him apply his ointments into the slowly healing wounds on my back. Finally, he sighed.

"A few of your lashes were scabbed over, but they're infected inside," he explained. "That's what's giving you this fever. I'm going to have to cut them open, and remove the pus and dirt, then I'll sew them closed again."

I just laid there. _He was going to cut me open._ Wasn't I already in enough pain? I didn't trust myself to open my mouth and reply.

"Starling? Can you hear me? I'm going to have to cut you. Don't attack me. Don't move, okay?" I nodded curtly to show that I understood.

The steel felt cool on my back, but the agony became nearly unbearable as it pressed against the tenderest parts. I hissed, but I didn't allow myself to scream. I was stronger than that. My back split open, and I bit my lip, exhaling sharply. A cloth pressed to my back, absorbing all the pus and blood.

"This is going to hurt a lot, but it's the best way to sterilize it," came his steady voice. "Hold my hand." My fingers groped out, and entwined with his. I squeezed.

He poured a cool liquid on my back, then the pain burst through. It was eating away at my flesh, burning me. _It hurt so much. Make it stop. Please. Just kill me, make it stop._

Alcohol. He had poured alcohol in my wound to clean it.

I forced myself to stay down, knowing that the infection could easily kill me. He had to do this. He had to get the wounds clean. I could stand this. I could live through this. Pain only made you stronger.

Still, he would have to do this with half the wounds on my back. I wasn't sure if I could stand the pain, not after a moment of relief.

I felt the world going black as I teetered on the brink of unconsciousness, then I snapped out of it. I could take a little pain. I was strong; I had to be strong. I could take a little pain.

As much as I was determined to be strong, my vision was going blurry around the edges, and I was loosing consciousness. I instinctively knew that if I closed my eyes now, I would never wake again.

My heavy lids fluttered shut, covering the burning, darkening world from my view. I was too weak to keep them open.

So this was how it all ends. So this was what it felt like at the end—just numbness. Because now, all the pain had gone away, and blackness filled my vision. There was nothing, nothingness for all eternity.

I was dead. What a strange thought. Wasn't I supposed to see my body below me, or go into some metaphysical tunnel? Wasn't I supposed to be judged for my sins and either sent to heaven or hell? But there was nothing, only blackness all around me.

There was a soft glow in the darkness, and I instinctually made my way over to it. I'm not really sure how, as I didn't have a body, but the light grew bigger, so I guess I was moving towards it. Or it was moving towards me.

It was beautiful.

The light surrounded me, penetrating me, filling me with its goodness. I felt new, clean, and innocent. I felt happy.

_Starling._

Words not spoken, for here in this place, there were no mouths, no ears, but words still heard.

_Zelpha? Versa? Brandon? Zach?_

_We're here, Starling. We're here with you._

_I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I wasn't good enough, I wasn't strong enough—_

_Starling, we don't blame you. We don't hate you. It wasn't your fault. You've done more for us, for our memory, than we ever would have asked of you._

_We love you, Star-girl._

_Mom? Dad?_

_We're here, we'll never leave you again._

All around me were the people I cared about, not their bodies, but their minds, their souls. I basked in the warmth of their love. If this was death, why had I held on for five years? I wanted to stay like this forever, and I realized I probably would.

"Starling."

The voice sounded rough on my ears, because it was my ears that heard it, not my heart. Crystal energy zapped through me once more, causing my body to spasm. Air whooshed as my lungs were filled. The pain returned to me with a sickening sharpness.

"Starling, come back."

I cracked my eyes open. I was alive. I was in Cyclonia.

I had died, and he had _brought me back!_ The bastard! Didn't he realize how beautiful it was? The peace, the love. I opened my mouth to scream at him, but no sound came out. I didn't even have the energy to get mad.

My eyelids fluttered closed, but I didn't go back to the happy place that I had escaped too, my own little heaven, my afterlife. Instead, I sank back into nightmares of despair.

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Next chapter, when she wakes up. I'll probably post it tonight if I get enough reviews!

Thanks for reading!


	9. Love and Hate

Author's Note: This is probably the most depressing chapter that I've ever written for anything. It may even be the most depressing chapter on . It's not bloody, or gory, or full of violence, it's just…sad. Completely and utterly heartbreaking. So you have been warned. It's really, really sad, especially the ending. (No, no one dies. I already did that last chapter, and this is almost sadder than death).

Pascy: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope this gets up soon enough! Yeah, well, speaking of dark chapters…

Helliexx: Thanks! As always! ;-)

Hawk-Masters: Thanks!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: I wouldn't be too jealous; I've read Ace Redemption and I think your writing is great, too! As for the DA on the subject of cuteness…YAY! Finally, someone who agrees with me!

Zapwing: Keep that Moorwen in its tank! It scares me! And why would you threaten Demongo when he brings you nachos and popcorn? And technically, Demongo is right…Nerd Corps © Storm Hawks, including Starling. That's my disclaimer. (Yay! I got to not write it!) Oh, and please, don't send the Moorwen after me when I'm done with this chapter…

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When I woke again, my entire body was sore, and my head pounded, but I was alive, and on the mend. I groggily opened my eyes and pushed myself into a sitting position.

Well, I should say "tried to push." The instant I began to move, strong hands carefully but gently pinned me down.

"It's okay," I chuckled. "I'm not going to attack you." I wasn't mad. At the moment. His grip didn't loosen.

"Are you going to try to sit up?"

I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. What had I been just trying to do? "Yes."

"Then I'll have to hold you down. You might feel better, but you need rest. You're not healed yet." Again, I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I wasn't a baby. I wasn't a weakling. I could take care of myself perfectly well, and I was fine.

Speaking of being fine, I should have been dead. All the torture had been taking its toll, and I knew that if he hadn't intervened, I would be a corpse in my cell. Even as it was, I had barely survived, and I wasn't too sure if I were happy or upset about it. "Why did you save me?" I burst out. "Why are you helping me?"

He looked deep in thought. "I'll answer your question truthfully if you'll do the same for one of mine, and answer mine first."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" I spat. "You're not getting any information from me that Cyclonia can use in this war."

He smiled. "If you don't like the question, you don't have to answer, then I just won't answer yours."

I thought about it. It didn't seem like there was any way he could trap me with this game, and I was curious. Slowly, I nodded. "Could you let go of me, though?" I asked.

"Only if you won't try to sit up."

He was winning the stubbornness contest, and he knew it. I nodded again, cursing internally for surrendering so easily. It's not that my wrists were hurting or anything—he was very careful to be gentle—I just felt awkward lying in bed with him half on top of me. I remembered what had happened last night, him saving me again, and half of me was grateful, but half of me hated his guts. I wanted him away, I needed him away, I needed breathing room.

"Go on, ask your stupid question," I grumbled.

He smiled. "Why did you attack me last night? What was going through your head that gave you the strength to leap on top of me and pin me to the ground when you couldn't even stand?"

Damm, him and his stupid mind games. That was a question I did _not_ want to answer, but at the same time, any information about why I was alive might be vital in planning an escape. I didn't even have a reasonable excuse not to answer—after all, he wasn't pumping me for information about Atmosian battle plans.

Ever heard the saying "Curiosity killed the cat"? I knew I shouldn't tell him anything at all, but I really wanted to know why in the world he had gone through so much trouble to keep me alive.

"When I woke up, with the fever and all, I didn't really remember anything," I began. He motioned for me to continue. "And, well, you were standing right above me and I was lying in your bed and my uniform was gone!"

I was blushing furiously now, and I hated myself for it. Somehow, it was hard to remain emotionless around him, especially since he had saved my life. "Oh." He let the silence stretch out, lengthening my embarrassment. "I understand completely. In fact, I would have tried to strangle me, too."

I glared at him. "Now you're teasing me."

His unreadable red eyes widened in fake fear. "Oh, no, I'd be way to intimidated to tease you. You might try to strangle me again."

I had to remind myself that I didn't want to break open my healing wounds. No matter how much I longed to feel my hands around his throat again, I had to wait. I always had that option when I was fully recovered. With supreme effort, I forced myself to relax.

"Your turn," I said coolly. "Why am I alive?"

The Dark Ace sighed, forcing himself to meet my eyes. They seemed confused, uncertain, almost pleading. "After your little show in the throne room, Master Cyclonis had a mission for me. I was away for a week. When I finally returned, I was surprised to hear you were still alive. I knew you'd never give in, and I just assumed that you would have died by then." No wonder he had refused to meet my eyes when they had dragged me away. I had already been dead to him.

"You're a fighter, a warrior, a predator. No soldier deserves to die rotting away in some cell. The death of anyone who fights as their life—even a Sky Knight—should be at the end of a sword. I came to end your misery."

Wow. I was luckier to be alive than I thought. Stupid luck, picking me at the worst times when I didn't want it.

"I came down to the dungeons, and you were still alive and kicking. It was killing me, the idea that I was there to kill you. For some reason, I just couldn't take your life. Then I realized if you had enough will to stay alive that long, you could probably survive if you got some medical care. I'm not a trained doctor, but I've gotten enough wounds myself and I've nursed enough of my men back to health to know what works and what doesn't. So I cleaned you up and healed you."

This made things a lot more complicated. It would almost be better if they were healing me for another horrendous torture, or if Master Cyclonis had plans for me. This…saving my life on an impulse put me in a very fragile situation. After all, as soon as I healed, I would be returned to the cell, and to the torture. Besides the fact that I wasn't sure how much more pain I could take, it would make escape a lot harder.

Did I really want to live? I had gotten a taste of death, and it was beautiful. Suddenly, I longed to be in the bright, happy, peaceful light again. I turned my eyes to the man who had taken me from it, hate flashing through my green gaze.

"You bloody idiot!" I screamed. "I hate this stupid life! I was almost there! I was that close! Everyone who has ever meant anything to me has already left this world, and I was just about to join them, and you BROUGHT ME BACK!" He backed up slowly, hands in the air, as I sat up. Thoughts of restraining me or stitches were gone from both of our minds.

"Why? Why would you do that to me? I would understand if it were for some new torture, or if Cyclonis wanted me publicly executed. But you had no good reason to save me, just like I had no good reason to be saved. This world holds nothing more for me. I was so close, and now I'll have to go through it all again. Because that's all that's left here for me: death. Why? Why?" My voice was cracking. Was there moisture on my cheeks?

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed. "WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE IN PEACE! YOU WERE TOO FREAKING WEAK! YOU COULDN'T KILL ME, AND NOW I'M THE ONE WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE!"

His eyes flashed. "Oh, I'm too weak?" he spat. "Says the girl who caused the death of her squadron, but was perfectly capable of protecting herself when the time came. No, I think you wanted to live a lot more than you cared about your so-called friends. I think that you're the one who's too scared to realize just how close to loosing it all that you came. I think you're embarrassed that you needed my help, and that death is easier than admitting that you owe me your life!"

The words punctured me, deflating me. I felt like an empty balloon. My eyes stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. The numbness, reminding me creepily of what death was like, was back. Everything was numb. I sat still, like a statue, and the tears poured down my cheeks. I didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore.

He was right. It was my fault that they had all died. I couldn't have really seen them, because they would have hated me, not forgiven me. I doubted my parents could care for the monster I had become. I was unlovable. The happiness that I thought I had felt was just another hallucination, brought on by the fever and my inability to deal with the pain.

_I was unlovable._

"Starling?" His voice sounded apologetic, but I didn't react at all. I was trapped in the nothingness again; I barely heard him.

"Starling, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it," he pleaded.

_When you speak in anger, when you lose control, that is when you say your thoughts. That is when you truly mean everything. Even if you didn't, it doesn't matter whether you meant it or not. What matters is that it is true. I am unlovable. _I didn't speak. I just stared straight ahead, glassy eyes fixed on nothing.

"Starling, do something, anything, please."

I closed my eyes. I took the easy escape. I let unconsciousness take me away from this living hell, and hoped for a dreamless sleep. I had no reason to keep on living, and no heaven waiting for me after death.

I was Starling, the monster. Starling, the murderer. Starling, the weakling. Starling, who killed everyone that got close to me. I was Starling, the unlovable.

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*sobbing uncontrollably* It makes me cry…then again, a lot of things make me cry…review…*grabs a tissue*…please…


	10. Lies

Author's Note: I do not own the Storm Hawks. A few shout-outs…

Zapwing: Demongo: Whew! I was seriously scared about what Zapwing might have done to me there, I know Starling is his favorite character. Moorwen eats humans? Um, remind me not to upset Zapwing that much! Well, thanks for reading and reviewing!

The Fallen One: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter; well, I'm not glad I almost made you cry, but—you know what I mean. As for the Dark Ace being seriously out of character…well, it's all explained. And he gets back in character, big time. Actually, I have you to thank for giving me the idea by telling me he was out of character!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Cool! That makes three of us! Thanks for reading and reviewing, too!

I can't be bothered logging in: Thanks! I'm really glad you like it. It means a lot to me. I generally update every day or so, depending on the number of reviews. Thank you for reviewing!

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Time became a blur for me. I didn't open my eyes when I was awake, and I didn't dream when I was asleep. It was almost as if I were in a coma, but I was painfully conscious. I was aware of every breath. I was aware of all the people around me.

It was hard to tell what time it was when I woke up, as I never moved, or even opened my eyes. The only thing that separated sleeping from not-sleeping was not-sleeping hurt more. Time passed more quickly when I was sleeping.

They put an IV in my arm, but it couldn't save me. Not when I had completely lost the will to live. Actually, it was more I had decided I wanted to die, and nothing was going to stop me.

Sometimes when I woke, the room was empty. There was only I, and my thoughts. Before, I might have tried the door, to see if I could escape, but now, I didn't care. I liked it better when I woke and it was night, and I could hear him breathing lightly on the couch. The presence of another human being gave me something else to think about, something else to ponder than my own worthlessness.

Now, I was pulled out of the numbness of unconsciousness by a cool hand on my forehead. I didn't move or react in any way.

"She shows absolutely no symptoms of any cold, flu, virus, or head trauma. Her wounds have been healing miraculously well. So tell me, Dark Ace, why is she dying?" It was a familiar cool female voice, Master Cyclonis. It took all my training and self-control not to open my eyes or react in anyway.

"I'm sorry, Master," came his reply. "She's in…a self-induced coma. She doesn't respond to anything. She's lost the will to live."

"We were so close!" she hissed. "So close to breaking her! We're not going to lose her now!"

Apparently, the Dark Ace couldn't think of a response to this, because the room was silent for a few minutes. Master Cyclonis spoke again. "It was a simple command. A simple technique. Torture the girl until she almost dies, then show her mercy seemingly against my commands to gain her trust. How could you mess it up this time, Dark Ace?"

I could just picture Dark Ace looking flustered, his red eyes flashing, his cheeks coloring ever-so-slightly. I had to force myself not to smile or laugh. Instead, I listened to the very valuable conversation the two were having right over their very conscious enemy.

The implications of what they were saying had hit me by now. All this had been a show. I waited for hate, or anger to come, but I just felt more numb. I guess I was in shock.

"You know," Cyclonis continued, "it shouldn't have been too hard. She is near your age, and aren't you supposed to be considered…" She paused, searching for the right word. "Handsome? Desirable?"

I could just imagine the expression on the Dark Ace's face. "Oh, what makes you think that?" Always brazen, even when he's getting in trouble. "Teenage hormones acting up again?"

"When the time comes for me to bear an heir, I'll choose an appropriate breeder. Until then, I have better things to do," she replied coolly. "But you're changing the subject. Why hasn't Starling fallen hopelessly in love with you yet?"

"She's so stubborn, and unpredictable! She's nothing like you or Ravess, and you aren't normal women either. Even if you compared her to all the women in the Atmos, I bet I'd still have no idea how she thinks. Really, she just confuses me. One minute it seems like she hates me and the next she's treating me humanely. Then I said something about her squadron and she goes all 'statue' on me! I didn't ask for this assignment! Actually, I think the fuss we made over her was stupid. She's a great fighter, but this is going too far!" The Dark Ace was angry now. "I'm your sworn servant, but there are some things that are more than you can ask of someone. Lying to this kid, and falling in love with her? You're asking too much."

Cyclonis was angry now; I could tell from the tone of her voice. "You just have to seduce her, not fall in love with her, and it shouldn't be that hard! You're a guy, for goodness sakes, you'll enjoy every second of it! As for her skills, it's more her smarts, and her determination that she uses to win a battle. Ten Nightcrawlers! Think of all the squadrons she could take down single-handed. All we need is to brainwash her, and she would be the perfect weapon. You see, it helps that she's not afraid to die." Cyclonis paused, to glare, I guess. I was still just lying there, pretending to be asleep.

She spoke again, her voice dangerously soft. "You will obey my orders, Dark Ace. I will have my prize. Now, don't let my prize die on me. Find a way to wake her up."

The Dark Ace gave a yawn.

"Are you tired of listening to me? Do you have better things to do?" she scolded.

"No, not at all, Master," the Dark Ace quickly justified himself. "I've been sleeping on the couch for the last four nights, and so I've been getting less rest."

I could see Cyclonis's nasty smirk in my mind's eye. "Well, she's not doing anything but taking up room. It is your bed. Sleep on it, for all I care." Her footsteps sounded against the soft carpet, then there was a 'click' as the door opened and closed. After an uncertain pause, there were heavier steps following her, then I was alone once more.

Everything that had happened, he had been under orders. The 'coming to end my misery, because fighters deserve to die on a sword' had all been another lie. It had all been a Cyclonian mind-game. I should have know, but I fell for it. I was too naïve, too trusting.

The rage hit me like a giant tidal wave, filling me with the burning desire to kill something. After days of numbness, the utter hate I felt towards the world felt _good._ It was dark, it was bad, and a part of me knew that it couldn't last, and when I crashed, I was going to crash hard. I was going to feel even worse, though I couldn't imagine it was possible. But my righteous indignation gave me someone to hate more than myself. It gave me a reason to fight again. I was angry, I was strong, and it felt good.

So they thought they could trick me? So they thought I was just going to fall for them? Maybe the old Starling would have, but she was too weak. She was gone. She had died, both literally and figuratively.

I had been reborn from the fires of hate, and I was the avenging angel ready to bring them down. They wanted a monster? They wanted a weapon? Well, they would get one. I was tired of moping. I was ready to fight again.

I tried to sit up, and was surprised how difficult it was. Just three days in bed, and I was already this weak? I looked at the window with my light-sensitive eyes, and decided it was still morning. That gave me all day.

Wincing slightly, I pulled the IV out of my arm and stumbled to the floor. I laid down, pushing myself up. Down, up, one. Pushups, a nice way to rebuild your arm muscle. Just like crunches would be next, and then sit-up, and then squats.

This would be a long day.

The Dark Ace strode into the room, and instantly, he knew something was wrong. I could tell from the way he stared at the empty, made bed. He flicked the light on, then jumped back as he met my eyes. I was sitting, unmoving, on his couch.

"Starling," he stuttered. "We were so worried…you didn't wake up. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I shouldn't have lost my temper. I was so stupid!" He put his head in his hands, looking so authentic. It took all my will not to spit in his face, to tell him he was wasting his time acting, to tell him I knew what was really going on. I waited for my revenge, knowing that it would be sweeter if I savored it.

He rushed over an embraced me. I was surprised, but I forced myself to relax. I cursed at my own stupidity; I should have suspected something like this. Master Cyclonis did order him to, how did she put it? "Seduce me."

I turned my mind off for a minute, melting into his muscular chest, trying to pretend that I didn't know what I had overheard. He was so warm and strong. _It was all a lie. He has no feelings for you, other than contempt. If it were up to him, he'd kill you_, I reminded myself. _He's the enemy._ Oh, I felt passionately for him, all right—I hated him with every bone in my body

He swept me off my feet, swirling me around. He was strong, quite a lot stronger than me. It was a simple matter of body mass. In a straight, one-on-one contest of strength, he would win. This sent a shiver down my spine.

A sudden thought hit me. So he thought he was the only one who could play this game? I leaned forward, kissing him. He jerked back, giving me a look that said, '_What was that for?_'

"I never got to thank you for saving my life," I said in a soft voice. I considered fluttering my eyelids, but I decided no way in hell. "I've had a lot of time to think, and, well, I've been rethinking my priorities."

He lifted my chin gently, sending shivers of disgust down my spine. "Oh, Starling, I was so afraid you hated me," he admitted. Guilt twisted in my gut. _He was lying to you, lying! It doesn't matter if you sink to their level, it only matters if you win. Because in the end, after you defeat them, there'll be one more to kill to make Atmos a better place…if your honor, then your life is the cost of this world, so be it. You'll pay the price._

"I lied to you, when I said I wasn't sure why I saved you. I know it sounds cheesy, but you're the strongest, smartest, most beautiful woman I've ever met, and—" His voice snapped me out of my morbid thoughts. When I couldn't stand listening to his lies anymore, I shut him up with my lips.

This time he didn't pull away, but kissed back. His lips pressed roughly against mine, teasing me, making me want more. He might have been evil but he sure was a damm good kisser.

My hands snaked down his body to his belt, where I groped for a dagger. Just as my fingers caught it, his large, calloused hand closed over mine. With his other hand, he yanked me closer, to whisper in my ear,

"Little Star-girl, did you think I was that stupid? You, perhaps, might fall for those tricks, but others are more attentive. When you lie for your life, you develop a knack for recognizing lies. I could tell you weren't yourself from the second I walked in the room. Coupled with the fact that Master Cyclonis decided to discuss…tactics…right in front of you, it led me to a reasonable conclusion. Star-girl, you still have a lot to learn about the darker side of life." He laughed nastily.

I tried to push him away, but he didn't let go. "So throw me back into my cell and torture me again," I hissed. "There's no need to pretend anymore."

The Dark Ace grinned nastily. "Oh, Master Cyclonis gave me very specific orders what to do with you, and I plan to follow them this time. You're not worth the trouble. And really, I've been sleeping on the couch for far too long."

My eyes widened when I realized what he was saying. I twisted, bringing my knee into his gut, wriggling out of his grip. "You pervert!" I shouted. "I'll never go down without a fight."

He smirked at me. "I was counting on it."

I realized what a stupid situation I was in. I was unarmed, I was in his chambers, which he knew a lot better than me, and he was stronger.

_But he wasn't one tenth as pissed off as I was._

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That was a fun one! Next chapter starts exactly where this one left off! The sooner you review, the sooner I'll actually write it!


	11. Fighting Fire With

Author's Note: Yes, I'm finally back. Took me long enough! I don't own the Storm Hawks. Before my shout-outs, I want to make a little announcement: this fiction is rated "T," and it's not about to change. So don't expect any…well, you get the point.

I Can't Bother Logging In: I don't mind at all, I'm just thankful you're reviewing in the first place! Thanks so much, and I hope you like this chapter too!

Helliexx: Thanks! As always! You're awesome!

Zapwing: No! But Zapwing's one of my favorite authors! He can't have a seizure! Hey, can I make a deal with Moorwen, too? Actually, I don't really have anyone I want to kill, but he sounds like someone fun to meet…after all he _is_ a friend of Zapwing. Demongo, you rock! Well, maybe I like shadows a lot, but I'm not showing favoritism…ok, you're one of my favorite shadows ever!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! It's cool to act six every once in a while! And I know the feeling when you just can't wait for more!

Cowgirls Angel Rita: You'll find out! Anyway, it is a rarer pairing, but I think it's rather fun to write. Thanks for reviewing!

The Fallen One: Thanks. I agree, the DA was seriously starting to creep me out, not that he isn't creepy enough to begin with. I hope he's a bit more in character here. Thanks so much for your review!

Paigy-Lou: Sorry! I planned on writing it sooner, but I just got busy!

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I looked into his merciless crimson eyes, and the old me would have felt doubt. However, now I was just mad.

"I'm going to give you one chance," I said, backing up as he stalked forward. "Stop, and no one will have to get hurt."

He laughed. "You don't want to get hurt? Then don't fight. The bed is right there."

I took another step backwards, and my foot touched the base of my IV. A makeshift weapon, it could double as a staff. I yanked it off the floor and whirled it. The Dark Ace smirked. "Do you really want to bring weapons into this? Because if you're going to play that game, so will I." I whipped the staff towards his head as my answer. He ducked underneath, yanking out his red energy blade and slashing the head of the IV. The bag of liquids burst open, guzzling all over his floor. He smiled; he didn't need to speak. The message was clear: he had a better weapon, he was stronger, and he was a better fighter. I didn't have a chance.

Something about me and impossible odds. I liked them too much for my own good. But what did I care about my own good?

He brought the blade in a huge, swinging loop down towards my head, and I briefly raised the staff above my head, before letting my momentum carry me forward, rolling past him. Like I had hoped, his sword easily sheared through my makeshift staff, giving me two fairly equal-sized metal sticks. They weren't nunchucks, but they were the closest thing.

He stopped laughing, and his eyes were narrowed in concentration now. He lunged forward, and I sidestepped, bringing one metal pole down on the crystal of his blade. It exploded—duh, it was a Firebolt crystal—and both of us were thrown back. I hit a chair, knocking it over, and he slammed into a wall. Neither of us seemed too badly hurt, and the only evidence of the explosion was a black burn mark on the floor. His sword had been completely destroyed, but I had also dropped my sticks. We were back to hand-to-hand combat.

I groaned and pushed myself up, noticing that he was already standing. He grimaced, and spitting blood. I bent my knees, trying to hide the trembling of my legs, forming a standard fighting stance. He laughed. "You don't ever give up, do you?"

I jumped forward, throwing a series of spinning kicks, each which he expertly dodged. When I landed in front of him, suddenly, he was behind me, grabbing me in a bear hug. I dropped my weight so he couldn't pick me up.

He squeezed tightly, and I swear I felt my ribs groaning in protest, so that I couldn't wiggle from his grip. "You're not escaping this time, sweetheart," he whispered into my ear, his warm breath making me shiver involuntarily. Then, he leaned down, kissing the nape of my neck.

Disgust and anger gave me another burst of strength, and I shoved my elbow back, hearing a satisfying _CRACK!_ as it connected with his chest. Then, pain splintered up my joint. He dropped me, winded, and I clutched my arm to my chest. I tried to move my elbow, and it hurt a bit, but not excessively. I decided it was badly bruised, so I switched up my fighting stance so that my left foot was forward. His emotionless red eyes noted this, and I knew he would fight harder to make me expose my weaknesses.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "I heard you arguing with Cyclonis. You don't have to! You can make the choice!"

"Sweetheart, I've watched you snoring on that bed for three days. I'm happy getting any reaction from you. You were starting to bore me," he laughed. "I'm the bad guy. I enjoy others' pain."

My eyes locked with his, blazing red with sparkling green. "I don't believe that. You were a Sky Knight once. Surely a part of you underneath is still good, still wants to rejoin the human race."

He laughed, a deep, chilling sound that made me shiver. "Star-girl, you are so innocent and naïve. I don't know how you lasted so long on your own. There are no happy endings. There is no goodness in everyone. Sometimes, you've passed the point of no return. Sometimes, you don't even want to go back."

Deep, probably true, and an insight into his mind. Interesting; when he was fighting, he was more likely to let something slip. "Sometimes it's not our fault," I shot back. "I watched my friends die. What's worse than that?"

His red eyes looked nostalgic, almost…regretful? "I watched my friends die, too. Only I wasn't lucky enough to have some Raptor to push the blame onto. It was my own hands that ended their lives."

I snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry, I feel so bad for you. You had a choice! You murdered your own squadron for Christ sake—practically your family! You betrayed the entire Atmos! You expect me to feel sorry for you? You're a bloody murderer and a traitor!"

He narrowed his eyes, and any regret he may have had was long gone. "You don't understand me, so don't even try." He lunged forward, kicking, and though I got out of the way, I was forced to block with my right hand. My elbow groaned in protest, and I whirled backwards, shooting a jab at his ribs. He too, leapt back, clutching his side.

I was starting to get tired. After all, this was the first time I'd been up in days. My head throbbed, my elbow hurt, and my muscles were all aching. I was out of breath. I was going to have to end this fight soon, before it ended in a way that I didn't want it too…

He came at me, charging with his fists raised, and I barely managed to block and sidestep. I kicked him in the knee, but he still continued raining blows fast and hard that I could hardly parry. I tried to get out of the way, and he pushed forward, moving faster. Surely he was tired too?

My foot hit something, and I realized that I had backed up against the wall. The Dark Ace had noticed, too. "Can't back up anymore. Checkmate, sweetheart." He stepped forward, pinning me with his body.

I panicked, flailing, and he quickly grabbed my wrists with his strong, calloused hands. "Really, Star-girl, if you stop struggling, you might actually enjoy it," he whispered, then before I could freak out even more, he pushed his lips onto mine. My mouth opened a bit in surprise, as if to say "Oh," and he shoved his tongue into it.

A wave of heat washed over me, and I was lost in a whirl of confusing feelings. I had experienced _love_ before, love for my ideals, love for my parents, love for my close friends, but never such…inflammatory feeling. I didn't even like him, in fact, I hated him, but I still _wanted_ him. In all my years training, becoming a Sky Knight was my only focus. After I had been chosen by the Interceptors, all I did was fight. When they were taken from me, I worried about revenge, and protecting the innocent. I had never had time for boys. I had never experienced…lust.

It was a strange feeling, almost like the anger that fueled me. It was hot, like fire all through me, but it didn't pain me, at least not in a way that I was used to. I knew it was bad, and I knew it would only hurt me, but somehow its danger only made it more appealing. It felt good in a guilty way. I couldn't fight this fire, but I sure could enjoy it.

With a shock, I realized that my lips were moving with his. I was kissing him back.

I was kissing him back and I liked it.

It was only human. I should have known that I'd have to deal with this soon enough. I hadn't skipped all this as a teenager, I had just delayed it. Every girl deals with hormones.

Why was I kissing him back? He was the freakin' enemy! He had killed so many!

_So had I. Two parents, __four__ fellow members of my squadron, three Raptors, and ten Nightcrawlers, and counting._

Were we really that different? Sure, I hid behind the morals of a Sky Knight, but at least he didn't call what he did anything but the truth. I tried to ignore my darker side, but he embraced it.

I had tried to ignore my darker desires, but now…

I was kissing him.

And it felt _good._

_Snap out of it!_ I kicked backwards as hard as I could, and the wall caved in behind me. Everything was confusing as we fell down, and tried to scramble up, chocking on the dust that filled the air. Neither of us could see anything.

My hand hit something hard: one of the pole-halves that I had fought with! I yanked it up, swinging it, and there was a "Clank" followed by the solid "Thump" of a body hitting the ground.

My breath came in irregular gasps as I sat there in a heap on the ground, waiting for the thick dust to settle. I was more tired then I had been in recent memory. All my muscles were groaning in pain, and I was lucky that nothing was broken. I was covered in bruises. I hadn't eaten for I-don't-know-how-long. I was shaking; I realized that tears were pouring down my cheeks.

I was a mess. A big, painful, emotional mess. How could I have done that? I kissed him back when he was trying to rape me! What was wrong with me? Somehow, I managed to mess up everything. I wonder if they would have survived if they didn't pick me…

The air cleared, and I saw his body lying there, looking so vulnerable on the ground. _What are you waiting for? Get out of here! Escape! Don't be an idiot!_ He looked so much younger and more innocent. A trail of blood ran down the side of his head from where my flailing pipe had hit him. Was I really just going to leave him there on the ground?

No. I couldn't. Being a Sky Knight meant acting honorably, and that meant not killing in cold blood. That meant helping injured people, despite whether they would have helped you or not. Besides, despite whatever Master Cyclonis told him, he had saved my life, and I hated being in debt to him. _You idiot!_ I told myself, _You're starting to sound like Harrier!_

I couldn't owe him my life. He would bring it up when I least needed it, during a battle or in an important negotiation. I couldn't give him that power over me. If I returned the favor, we would be equal. He'd have no leverage over me. And it was the good, honorable, Sky Knight thing to do, helping him.

Groaning, I stumbled to his limp form, and grabbed him under the arms, dragging him towards his bed. Miraculously, the bed was still made, and it didn't have a bit of dust on it. It was the one spot of order in the dirty, ruined room.

I hauled him up, using all my remaining strength to get him on top. Finally, he was positioned. I looked at the lump on his head. It didn't seem fatal. In fact, he should wake up in a few hours, in which _I would be long gone._

The bed looked so soft. I was aching all over, and I was so tired. I wouldn't make it anywhere in this state. Surely it wouldn't matter if I rested for ten minutes? The bed looked so soft and inviting…

_Idiot! Get out of here while you can!_ I ignored the smart little voice in the back of my mind, shoving him unceremoniously to make room for myself. If I closed my eyes and forgot he was there, it actually felt quite relaxing…

My eyelids fluttered close, and the world went blissfully dark.

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Okay everyone, and that's the end! (of the chapter, TeeHee!)

Please review!

Weekend is coming up, so hopefully I'll post the next one before Sunday. No promises—school is in full swing, so things get busy.

Reviews=faster updates!


	12. Stolen

Author's Note: don't own the Storm Hawks.

MI: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You're the best! Yeah, this is probably one of my darker stories, sorry about that. I tried to tell you that I was evil inside….Mwahahahahahah! See? I've even perfected the laugh! Well, thanks again!

Helliexx: Thanks for reading! You're awesome!

PaigeyLou: Thanks! Well, this is rated "T," and I want to keep it that way…anyway, glad you like it!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Okay, here's the next chapter! (I just can't resist six-year-olds!) You have a little sister? Lucky! Brothers are so not cute when they're six, they're just messy and immature and annoying!

Cowgirls Angel Rita: Yeah…something about me and cliffhangers. Everyone seems to review more after a cliffhanger!

I can't bother logging in: I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you wait, but somehow, it just took way longer to write then I expected. I'll try to be quicker with the next couple! I'm really glad you like S/DA. Really, it was strange and random, but it does turn out sort of cute. In an evil, sadistic way. Well, thanks so much for reviewing!

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My eyes cracked open, and I was shocked to find sunlight illuminating the room. Then, it hit me: it was morning. I hadn't slept for ten minutes, I had slept for ten hours. I rolled over, and, not surprisingly, the bed beside me was empty. Turning back, I tried to sit up, only to find a sparking red blade of light and metal at my neck.

"Bloody hell," I groaned.

"Really? 'Bloody hell'? Is it too early in the morning, or do you have a childish dislike to swear-words? Because I can think of a few better things to say, like fu—"

"Shut up. I'm having a bad enough morning as it is without you trying to teach me Vulgarities and Profanities 101." Uhg. How could I have been so _stupid?_

He was chuckling, as if he could read my mind. "Only you, Star-girl. Only you." He paused to snort a bit more. "Only you would insult someone holding a blade at your neck. But then again, only you would beat someone in a fight, then instead of killing them when you had the chance, drag them back to their bed and _sleep next to them._"

I was blushing. Damm, I was such an idiot! I should have gotten out while I had the chance! "Just wondering, why didn't you kill me when I lay there helpless?" His tone was joking, but his eyes told a different story. They probed my face, hard, cold, and curious.

"It's not the right thing to do, to hurt someone when they're helpless. I'm not like you," I hissed. "And when I decided I couldn't kill you, why just leave you there? After all, now I don't owe you my life anymore. We're even."

His eyes were completely unreadable for a second, then he spoke. "You're right, you're not like me. You're weak."

I was weak, and I knew it, but I wasn't going to let him know. "There's a difference between weakness and compassion." He laughed. Neither of us believed that.

"So what are you going to do with me?" I continued. Best get it over with.

He stepped closer. "Well, since you already are in the bed…"

"Don't you have a day job? Like, babysitting Talons or something?"

His face darkened. "As a matter of fact, I do. Oh well—there's always tonight, and you're not going anywhere." My mind was racing. If he had to go take care of some Talons, then maybe I could escape—

The blade lifted from my throat, and a lump of cloth was tossed into my arms. It was a Talon uniform. "Well, sweetheart, get dressed. We've got ourselves some cadets to train."

Whoa—slow down. _He_ had _himself_ some cadets to train. I was not a part of helping Cyclonis build her armies. And did he really think I was going to wear a _Talon's_ uniform? "Excuse me?" I stuttered.

"You heard me. Master Cyclonis wants you to be useful, and if I have to work, there's no way you get to sit in my room all day. You're coming with me. That way, I can make sure you don't escape, and the kids might get an interesting fighting lesson."

I glanced down at the uniform in my hands. It _would_ be a lot easier to fight through scored of Talons and escape if I wasn't wearing pajamas. I had worn similar things when I infiltrated Cyclonia last year. It couldn't be too hard. Sighing, I made my way over to the bathroom. "I regret not killing you already," I grumbled to myself.

His laughter followed my retreating form.

"You consider _this_ breakfast?" I looked incredulously at the soggy piece of toast and cup of coffee that he placed in front of me. Hey, maybe it was OK for him, but I hadn't eaten in…well, I wasn't really sure how long. I think it was about a week they tortured me, then I'm not sure how long I was out with the fever hallucinating I was dead, then there was my self-induced coma. The point was, I was ready for a _real_ breakfast. Soggy toast was so not cutting it.

"You don't like it? Make yourself something different, for all I care. You're in the kitchen." He took a sip of his coffee, smiling.

So he thought I couldn't cook? I had been living on my own for five years, and if there was one thing I learned, it was that if you want good food, you cook it yourself. Buying dinner every night was too expensive for a lone, broke Sky Knight. After one week of starving, I slowly began to improve, teaching myself how to cook until I could whip-out first class meals and eat them in under half an hour.

I found eggs, sausage, bacon, and potatoes in his fridge. Ignoring the meaty products (vegetarian, anyone?) I grabbed two eggs, some milk, and some potatoes. I cracked the eggs, mixed in some milk, cinnamon, and sugar, and dipped two slices of toast into it. Then, as the French toast sat absorbing the mixture, I chopped up the potatoes. Turning on the stove, I placed a generous dab of oil on the pan, then set the vegetables frying. Next, I checked the toast—all ready, so I set that in its own pan. Keeping an eye on my cooking food, I poured myself a glass of orange juice.

All the time, I was aware of his eyes burning into my back as I whirled around the kitchen. It was really disconcerting, knowing that he was watching my every move, but having no idea what he was thinking. Actually, I'm not sure if I wanted to know what was going on in his head. I mean, I had enough problems myself, and the Raptors had killed my squadron…

Was I starting to feel sorry for him? He was the enemy! _But he was also a fellow human being, and underneath his tough surface, he was in pain. He needed someone to care for him. Because if you've forgotten love, you're not human anymore, you're a monster._

Oh, gosh. I was going all mushy. That's just what I needed—to miss opportunities to escape because I thought I had a chance of teaching the Dark Ace compassion. Seriously, who was I kidding? I wasn't even…emotionally stable myself. I was broken. Shouldn't I be worrying about healing myself, and not him?

_So forgive yourself. You're the only one who needs to. You're the only one who can._ I swallowed a lump in my throat. It wasn't that easy. Even if I did manage to let go of the past, I'd still have blood on my hands.

The smells of a deliciously cooking breakfast shook me from my reprieve. I hurried to the pantry, grabbing a plate and fork, before rushing back to the stove. The French toast was golden brown, and the hash-browns looked perfect. Smiling, I spooned it all onto my plate.

Just before I could turn to head back to the table, warm, calloused hands closed over mine. Red eyes locked with green. He smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth. "On second though, I'll take that." His hands tightened on my plate.

He. Was. Stealing. My. Breakfast. My stomach growled like a savage wolf. I was nearly crying from hunger, and I think he could tell, too. He smirked, and pulled, and the plate came out of my grasp. Did he have no integrity at all?

My eyes narrowed, and I prepared to shout various hateful things at him, but then I stopped myself. _Forgiveness starts now. You don't have the time to put it off to tomorrow._ There was more eggs. There was more bread. There was more potatoes. I could make myself another serving.

I ignored the protests of my stomach, and began the entire cooking process again. It didn't help that I could hear him munching in the back of the room.

He was just trying to get me mad. It would be falling right into his trap if I protested at his nasty theft of my food. The smart thing to do was remain silent. I would be winning this stupid mind-game then.

I guess he got bored of watching me silently prepare my own food again, because he couldn't resist a jibe. "Whatever happened to your backbone, Star-girl? You're really just going to let me take your food, and get away with it?"

"Choose your battles wisely," I shot back. "I can make more. Plus, I feel a bit sorry for you, eating soggy toast and cold coffee every morning. No wonder you're always so…evil." He laughed.

"Why even bother choosing your battles if you're never going to win? Why even bother fighting if you're going to lose the war?" Somehow, I got the feeling that we weren't talking about breakfast anymore.

"Because if you're going to go down, you go down fighting. You go down with pride. You go down kicking and screaming, and taking as many of them to hell with you." I answered without hesitation. In all my confusion, that was the one firm rock that remained. It was the one concrete thing left in my world of turmoil. I would never stop fighting. Never.

He nodded. "Good answer. I can respect that." I stared at him, shocked. He could never fail to surprise me. I mean, you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but no, he always just had another bomb to drop.

My breakfast was done, and I quickly scooped it onto another plate before hurrying back to the table. He finished the last bite of his food, then rose. "Well, come on now, Star-girl. We've got Talons to train. It's not breakfast all day." The steaming plate of food sat there in front of me. He wasn't really serious, was he? I gripped my fork so hard that my knuckled turned white. I was not giving up this food. I didn't care if I had to fight for it, I would stab him with my fork, but I was eating my French toast.

He laughed. "The look on your face!" My eyebrows came together, confused, until I figured out what he meant. He was teasing me. "I was kidding. Take your time, Star-girl. The Talons have to eat, too, and there are always long lines in the mess hall."

The savory smells of cinnamon and egg and potato wafted up, making my mouth water. Still, I forced myself to eat slowly. I started on the potatoes: each bite was like a little piece of heaven.

"Syrup?" I nodded, mouth full, and he passed me a bottle. I drizzled it over my French toast.

I swallowed, taking a large gulp of OJ to help all the food down. "Thanks."

So weird. I was sitting in his kitchen, wearing a Talon uniform, eating his food, and we were speaking fairly civilly to each other. It felt strange and wrong, but at the same time, natural and acceptable.

Finally, I put my fork down on my empty plate. He grabbed it and placed it in the sink. "You're doing dishes?"

"No! I have a servant for that sort of thing. I'm just clearing it from the table."

"You're all defensive all of a sudden."

"Look, it's my way of saying thank you for the food."

Kaboom! Another bomb dropped in my mind. I blinked my eyes, reeling. "Well, you're welcome," I said stiffly. "Ask next time. It's not hard to cook for two, and it's a whole lot quicker than cooking breakfast twice."

He chuckled, his tight armor back up. "You're mad at me, aren't you? You're rather cute when you're all angry. Come on, we have some Talons to teach."

I looked him in the eye. "You realize that I'm not going to help train them. You're dragging me along for no reason."

"Oh, you will help. You have no idea how much you will help."

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Um, you know what I'm going to ask. So hit that button and tell me what you think!


	13. Training Talons

Author's Note: don't own the storm hawks. A few shout outs:

Pascy: Yay! You're back! I mean, I hope you had a good trip, but I missed your reviews! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks again!

Cowgirls Angel Rita: Thanks! I'm really glad you like it.

Helliexx: Reviewers are awesome! Which means you are awesome!

Miasinpie: Thanks! I'm glad you like my crazy OOC (out of character) story! Mwahahahah (I love evil laughs. Mwahahahahahah)

The Fallen One: Thanks! I know, of all the evil things to do, to steal breakfast?!? Well, thanks for reviewing!

I can't bother logging in: I'm so glad that you like it so much! It's fun to scream. Yeah, the Dark Ace is sure evil, and he makes her upset in the meanest ways, because then she feels all guilty about getting upset. Good thing your brothers are actually worried—mine would get mad at me for annoying them! Well, hope you like this chapter, too!

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I surveyed the room of sixteen-year-old kids goofing around, tossing balls of paper at the fan, and looking overall not that menacing. Dark Ace and I were standing in front of the classroom, and they hadn't even noticed us. I snorted. "These are the 'future commanders of Cyclonia'? They couldn't scare a wet kitten!"

A loud bell rang, cutting out the noise and making all feel the desperate need to cover their ears. Then, as suddenly as it came, it was gone, leaving its echoes ringing in all of our heads. The class was finally silent. "Hello," the Dark Ace said, pacing in front of the room. "I trust you all did your homework."

Each of them pulled out a stack of papers about twenty pages long covered in neat writing. I walked to one of the desks, picking it up, flipping through it. It was an essay on various training techniques and battle tactics.

Wow. Did I mention that the Dark Ace was seriously evil? It was one thing to terrorize innocents and enslave Terras, but quite another story to torture teenagers with twenty-page essays for homework every night.

Everyone quickly passed their essays up to the front row, where he snatched the pile and tossed it onto his desk. "I'll review them as usual. Grading procedures are the same: top ten essays pass, everyone else fails."

A couple of the students were eyeing me curiously. One of the braver ones raised her hand. The Dark Ace noticed, and smiled like a shark. "We have a guest teacher today, who will be assisting us. She is the Sky Knight Starling."

The class sat in utter silence. I was surprised that no one jumped to their feet, screaming, but I guess that you just didn't do that sort of thing when the Dark Ace was your teacher.

The same kid who had raised her hand about me had her hand in the air again. "Yes, Yoza?" the Dark Ace growled.

"I was wondering if we would get to fight her," Yoza said, smirking quite like him.

"Class, what is the first thing you want to do before you jump into a fight?" the Dark Ace continued, his voice dangerously soft.

"Study the fighting technique to find your enemy's weaknesses, then use it against him," the class chanted, sounding bored.

The Dark Ace pointed a crystal at the lights, and they dimmed, then he tossed another crystal in the air. It hovered there, projecting a very familiar-looking image on the board.

It was me. I looked like absolute crap: there was dirt and grime all over my face, my hair was knotted, and blood was streaming down my back. Ten Nightcrawlers surrounded me. The image me leapt forward without warning, shoving my palm into a Nightcrawler's face, breaking its nose and killing it.

The Dark Ace hit a button and the scene paused. "Now, what does this say about her fighting technique?"

A boy in the front with large muscles and even larger glasses raised a trembling hand. The Dark Ace nodded at him. "She has excellent control over her body, as you didn't see her tense up at all before she lunged. She's smart and ruthless when she creates a plan, which she can in a split second. She almost seems to act on instinct, except she has perfect control. She attacked when the enemy was distracted, so it didn't have a chance."

The Dark Ace nodded. "Good." He clicked, and the roll continued.

The class went on like this for about thirty minutes. Every move I made, they picked apart and analyzed. I sat in the back, closing my eyes, trying to ignore the bloody scene projected in front of me. It was bad enough to have had to have lived through it once.

At one point, the Dark Ace asked me to come up and demonstrate a move. I gave him such a glare that a few of the students winced. Didn't I already make it clear that I was not cooperating? He smirked his annoying little grin when I refused, and just started the holo-movie again.

Finally, they were done. I sighed, pushing my bangs back tiredly. "Now, class," the Dark Ace leered, "it's time for a field trip. We're going down to the Cyclonian arenas, and you'll have your chance to fight Starling one-on-one."

One of the kids, who either hadn't been watching the movie or was way too confident for his own good, called out, "We'll cream her! Aren't you afraid we'll hurt your pet?"

The class laughed nastily at this, but one look from his crimson eyes and they all quieted. "I'll make you this offer—anyone who beats Starling in a fight not only passes this course, but graduates and gets their own squadron of Talons to command immediately."

I shot him a look. "What makes you think I'll fight?"

"I know you. You won't just let yourself be beaten up, especially when you can do something about it."

I thought more carefully. "What makes you think I won't hurt your kids?"

"We have fairly good infirmaries here on Cyclonia. If you end up killing any of them, they would have been useless in battle, so you've done us a favor."

I felt nauseous at his lack of care about these kids' lives. "No way," I hissed. "I'm not going to hurt these kids."

"You'll change your mind."

Sure enough, as I stood in the center of the arena, and one of the kids swung a punch at me, I did change my mind. I just leaned back and put out a leg. The boy was way too clumsy for his own good, and relied on brute strength; I could tell from the way he swung his arm as if he didn't care if I tried to block it. When I dodged his, he overbalanced, and it was rather easy to trip him. From there, I simply placed a foot on his throat, applying no pressure, but to remind him that he couldn't get up.

The class looked surprised at the speed and intelligence with which I had reacted. Bunch of idiots. Hadn't they spent the last half hour examining how I fought?

The next kid was small and skinny, with bug-eyed glasses. He was nearly trembling as he got to me.

"Am I really that scary, kid?"

He gave a start as I spoke to him, then he stuttered, "Y-y-you won't distract me."

I sighed. "I don't care about fighting you."

He looked nervous. I guess he had actually been paying attention in class. Poor kid, he had just watched me single-handedly murder ten of Cyclonis's elite soldiers, and now he was asked to spar with me. He glanced back at Dark Ace, and the Cyclonian commander motioned for him to continue. The kid took a deep breath and darted in with a jab-punch combination.

It was fairly easy to block, but I was a bit surprised at the speed and strength the kid had in him. He would make a good fighter if he had any confidence. As if was, all it took was me bulging my eyes, barring my teeth, and screaming "GRRRRR," for him to jump, trip himself, and fall down into a shaking lump on the ground.

I thanked Stork and his Merbian crazy-face tactics in my mind. Who knew?

The next girl was the one who spoke up first about fighting me, Yoza. She scared me a bit—she seemed bloodthirsty to the point of insanity, and I didn't want to have to end up hurting her. Sure enough, she charged straight at me. I sidestepped easily, but the smart bugger had known that I would get out of the way, and changed directions to accommodate. Without time to do anything else, I desperately jumped as high as I could, doing a flip before landing nimbly on my toes. She swung a kick and I ducked under her leg, pretending to sweep her remaining support. She easily leapt over, which I expected, so I launched forward. Off balance, she barely managed to defend herself against the deluge of punches I rained down. Still, she fought with ferocity and bloodlust in her dark brown eyes.

She swung a desperate roundhouse, and I blocked it easily, then without even thinking, I stepped forward, placing her in an armbar and forcing her down. She growled again, stomped on my foot, and bit my hand.

A flash of anger rushed through me, and I pushed down until I heard a nasty _Snap!_ She screamed in pain.

This time, I did really lose it, backing up as my breakfast splattered across the arena floor. The class looked on with a mixture of disgust and fascination.

"Stupid girl's own fault," the Dark Ace said, looking not at all upset. "She had it coming. Starling, pull yourself together, I was hoping to get one more fight in."

"You monster!" I screamed. "I'm not going to torture kids! You can't force me! I don't care! Let them come beat me up, I won't sink to your level!"

He smirked, then turned to address the class. "And that's what happens when you get a Sky Knight mad. They go all high-and-mighty on you. She's not even the worst! You should see Harrier; he shouts 'Fight with honor!' before every battle." The class chuckled nastily.

I was trembling with rage. Every time I thought I could control my feelings around him, he made me hate him with a vengeance again. I hated the way he could make me mad so easily, I hated the way he thought he could push me around, I hated the way he pushed everyone around, I hated the way he acted so superior, and I hated that I was powerless to stop him from doing all this stuff I hated.

An awful lot of hate for one guy to make me feel. Kind of depressing, if you thought about it. Which I couldn't do, because one of his many talents—another thing I hated—was his ability to make me lose all rational thought around him.

"Now, Marcus, do you want to give fighting her a shot?"

_Brrrriiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggggggggg._

Saved by the bell. How cliché, but then again, I wasn't complaining.

"Fifteen page essay on the techniques that Starling uses in her fighting, and how they differ from the 'average' Sky Knight fighting techniques we've studied."

One of the kids whispered to a friend, "Wow, he's in a really good mood today. I think that's the first time in a month it's been under eighteen." With a start, I realized he was referring to the amount of homework pages assigned.

The kids disappeared off the Talon's mess hall, and I began to follow them. After all, I was starting to get hungry, especially since I had emptied the contents of my stomach all over the floor.

The Dark Ace stopped me, reaching out a hand to grab my shoulder. "Oh, we don't eat with the common soldiers. Commanders have their own mess hall."

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Plz review!


	14. Cyclonian Mess Hall

Author's Note: Okay, so this started as a random, action-filled story that was just me having fun with Starling and the Cyclonians. Really, my main concentration was "The Same Team" and all of its sequels, etc. This was just arbitrary, and it didn't have a plot. What happened? Well, it became a lot more popular than I could have ever imagined. Take a look at this: an average of 6.5 people have reviewed each chapter. For "The Same Team," an average of about 5.9 people reviewed each chapter. You're the reason that this story has gone on for so long, and has evolved from a short, random thing to having actual plot, sort of (I have some idea where I want to go with this. I have no clue how to end it yet.) Don't own the Storm Hawks.

Helliexx: Thanks!

The Fallen One: No, she just broke her arm, but still, to have to do that to a kid? And I have no idea why there are no female Talons, but it's not because Starling killed them all! Thanks for reviewing, too!

Rita: Thanks! Yeah, he's just all evil, Mwahahahaahah. (I like to evil-laugh)

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks so much!

I can't bother logging in: Your school blocks it? That's evil! My school blocks Facebook, but nothing else, thank God! Dark Ace makes a pretty evil teacher, quoting and examining all the Sky Knights. At least Aerrow wasn't mentioned…actually, Aerrow's probably quite an embarrassment for him. I still can't see why Aerrow always wins. In my opinion, Dark Ace is a lot better fighter, plus he actually pilots his own skimmer (Radarr!). Oh, and I don't mind long review at all; on the contrary, they make me happy! So thanks, and enjoy the next chapter!

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I tramped into the Commander's mess hall after the Dark Ace, still feeling slightly sick from the "training" of the poor kids. I was so preoccupied that I didn't notice the conversation stop as all eyes turned to us. The Dark Ace stopped right in front of me, but as I was staring at my feet, I didn't notice. I walked right into him, then stumbled backwards, blushing furiously.

Ravess stood. "Dark Ace," she called out, her fake-sweet voice echoing over the silent hall, "So, the rumors were true. I wanted to congratulate you, you did manage to tame the Sky Knight!"

'Tame the Sky Knight?' It was all I could do to stop myself from lunging forward and ripping her throat out, but I was reminded that I had no weapons, there were a room full of Cyclonians between me and her, they were all heavily armed, and I'd probably end up making a fool of myself. Still, the anger was very difficult to contain.

I breathed deeply, keeping my face a cool, emotionless mask. It would do absolutely no good to show her how much she could affect me. Actually, she shouldn't be able to affect me in the first place. I held my head high, and let the insult roll off.

The Dark Ace and I made our way to the buffet line. He grabbed a plate, and began heaping it with all the food he could find. "This chicken is a bit cold, but it's quite good…the turkey is okay, I guess, though the cooks are always skimpy on the gravy. Steak is the best you'll find anywhere, all red and juicy in the center. Mashed potatoes are amazing, grab some bread, it's fresh-baked every day." In about ten seconds the plate was piled about a foot high, and more than half of it was meat.

I gave him a look. "You do realize that I'm a vegetarian, right?"

He scoffed. "Why do you think I care?"

"Um, late plate is full of meat."

He gave me an are-you-serious look. "That plate is for me. What do you think I am, your servant?"

I blushed, and got back in line, getting my own plate. This time through, I found all the little vegetables he had skipped over: broccoli, asparagus, and corn along with some salad, the potatoes, and bread. I even found a bit of bean soup which I decided to try.

I glanced around, feeling a bit like the new girl in high school who doesn't know where to sit at lunch, until I decided that I didn't care. Actually, I'd prefer not to sit with any of the Cyclonians. They were my enemy, plus, it was less likely that they would poison my food or something (although if I were worried about poison now, it was a little late). I settled at an empty table in the back of the room.

The Dark Ace was sitting at the head table, along with Ravess, Snipe, and all the other most important commanders. Ravess whispered something into his ear, and I was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy. It was because I hated knowing that there was some secret that I didn't know. Then, Ravess raised her voice, and even though she still addressed him, it was obvious that everyone was meant to hear.

"Dark Ace, isn't it a bit rude to let your pet Sky Knight sit all alone?"

"Do you think I care? She can take care of herself."

The whole room was silent as they waited for my reaction.

"Ravess," I called back, "Isn't it a bit rude to talk about people behind their backs?"

"Oh, but you're not a person. You're like…a pet. A dog." She laughed. "You're a bitch."

"Really? Because that's what I've heard about a certain magenta-haired woman who thinks she can play the violin. But then again, I'm not the type to listen to rumors."

Ravess hissed, eyes narrowing. I smiled, and turned back to my lunch.

_Twang._ An arrow hit right above my plate, burying itself in the wooden table. I turned again, but now there was fury in my eyes.

"Big mistake," I growled. "Now you've made it personal!"

I threw the knife I was holding, and like a silver shard, it flew true, hitting her in her left hand and forcing her to drop her bow. I stalked over, and all the Talons got out of my way. Soon, I was just standing over her cowering form. "Whining like a dog? How pathetic? Who's the bitch now?"

Slow, controlled clapping snapped me out of my rage. Master Cyclonis descended through the ranks of her Talons, levitating to appear taller. "So you do have a nasty streak," she sneered. "I knew you'd make a good Talon. The uniform looks nice on you."

I nearly screamed in frustration, yanking the knife from Ravess's hand. However, the Dark Ace stood between me and the young queen.

"Back off, Starling," he growled.

Cyclonis smiled, waiting for my answer. "Make me."

I lunged forward, thrusting my knife towards him, which he dodged. I quickly pulled my arm back and used my momentum to tackle him, and we tumbled to the floor together. I ended up sitting on his chest, with my knife at his throat.

"You're going to all get out of my way, and give me a skimmer, and let me go, or I slit his throat," I threatened.

I felt a point of pain on my abdomen. I glanced down to see the tip of a knife pushing against my stomach.

"You kill him, he kills you," Master Cyclonis explained. "Now, why do you think we'll let you escape."

"He's your best warrior. You wouldn't just let him die!" I protested.

"Do you really think I care about any of them? They're just tools," she explained coolly. "They are only as good as they are useful. True, he's useful right now, but he still can be replaced."

I stared in shock. I still couldn't get over how ruthless, heartless, and pure _evil_ these people were sometimes.

I looked down at the Dark Ace. As far as Cyclonians went, he was one of my favorites (Don't ask me why. I have no idea.) Could I really just murder him in cold blood? No, because that would be sinking to their level.

Sighing, I lowered my knife. I felt tears gathering in my eyes. The Dark Ace glared at me.

"What? You're too scared of death? Get a grip on yourself, girl!"

"I can't do it," I whispered. I hugged myself, rocking slowly. "I can't just kill someone. I can't take a life in cold blood." I glared at him. "I'm not you."

He looked at me for a long time, pondering unknown things in that twisted mind of his. Finally, he said, "You're right. You're not like me."

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	15. Escape?

Author's Note: Don't own the Storm Hawks. Hey, I just noticed, this is like, Chapter 15 already. Forgot to celebrate making double digits. So yay! Special thanks to Rita, Dancing-with-the-devil 1995, Pascy, and I can't bother logging in, for reviewing! Keeping the author's note short today, let's begin!

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Surprisingly enough, Dark Ace had another class to teach after lunch, so it was back to the hell that they called school. To say that I was not happy about this would have been the biggest understatement of the year. To say that I did not have a choice would explain the reason that I stood in front of the class again.

"Now, it's time for the real fun to begin." Oh, God. What exactly did Dark Ace consider fun? "We're going to work on aerial tactics. If you're good, I'll let you try a real aerial chase, with the Sky Knight as the victim."

He was going to let me use a skimmer? With this class as incompetent as it was, I might just be able to get away! I grinned.

A Talon appeared at the door of the classroom, and whispered a few words to the Dark Ace. He frowned, and the Talon shrugged. "I'm sorry, class," he said. "I have to go for a few minutes. Behave yourselves. I'm locking the door, so you don't all escape." He looked at me in particular as he said that. Then, he hurried away, closing the door.

"Party time!" one kid yelled.

"Shut up," hissed another. "He left the Sky Knight in charge."

"Do I look like I care?" I said. "Do whatever you want."

While the kids started chatting, dancing on their desks, throwing paper airplanes, and doing whatever else unsupervised kids do these days, I decided to look through the reports on Dark Ace's desk, to see if I could find any good information.

Most of it seemed reports from students, but there were some maps of Cyclonia and a couple reports of old battles. One of the drawers in the bottom was locked. I tried to open it or find the key, but to no avail.

"Hey, girl." I looked up to see three large boys standing menacingly above me. I didn't like the way they were looking at me, or the tone of voice the leader used.

I straightened, rolling my eyes. "You are not serious," I groaned.

He grinned.

What is it with all the guys on Cyclonia? I mean, seriously, I wasn't even that pretty.

"You've watched me fight Nightcrawlers and your own classmates, yet for some strange reason, you still think you can overpower me?"

The boy grinned. "We're not Nightcrawlers."

"No, you're not," I replied. "There were more of the Nightcrawlers, the Nightcrawlers had weapons, the Nightcrawlers were stronger, and faster, and far smarter." I jumped forward, sweeping his feet. He seemed so surprised by the fact that I was attacking him that he didn't even try to get out of the way.

The next tried to punch me, which I ducked under easily, before jabbing him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He, too, fell to the ground, clutching his chest. The third, when he noticed the fate of his friends, tried to run away. I caught him with a high kick right between his shoulder blades. He, too, fell.

Suddenly, I was aware that the class was silent. They were all staring at me.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Nice job there, Starling," came his low voice. He looked down at the three cowering bullies on the ground. "Detention, for all three of you."

"Why?" one whined.

"Firstly, because you were idiotic enough to attack the Sky Knight when you've seen that she's one of the most dangerous opponents in the Atmos." My cheeks reddened at his compliment. I wished I was that good. "Two…" His hand, which was on my shoulder, snaked down around my waist. "She's mine." He pulled me, forcing me backwards against him.

I gave a little yelp of surprise and pushed him off, disgust evident in my face. Everyone in the class laughed.

Every time, just when I think I can tolerate him again…well, let's just say that I wished I could strangle him.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting practically on his lap in his skimmer. I did _not_ get my own skimmer until the end of class, and that was only if everyone behaved. Apparently, playing 'Catch the Sky Knight' was a treat, not a privilege.

I was not happy.

The Dark Ace twisted his skimmer through a triple back flip, trying to show off. If he was trying to impress me, it didn't work; I was too busy not trying to puke all over everything to be awed by his skills. I mean, I don't get sick easily, but I had just eaten a huge lunch, and when he flipped, he flipped fast.

Did I mention that I wasn't very happy?

The Dark Ace was teaching them various ramming techniques, and how to use the built-in armor on the skimmer to slice through enemy skimmers' wings. I listened carefully, trying to figure out the best way to counter the tactics he gave. "Now, what would you do if the opponent faked left, then went right?" he asked.

"When they're faking, they don't lean their weight to that side. It's easy to correct your course and intercept them," a boy answered.

My hand shot up in the air.

"Yes, Starling?"

Oh, God. Did I really raise my hand? But the answer was already blurting out of my mouth. "Only newbie pilots do that. By the time you're advanced, you don't need to lean, and you can dodge a lot easier that hit by faking the dodge and if they don't fall for it really going that direction. It's really easy to fake out an attacker."

Dark Ace grinned. "I'm glad you decided to help teach, Starling. I was beginning to get bored. Well, let's play chase the Sky Knight for the rest of the period. To insure that she doesn't get away, her Sky Ride has very, very low fuel crystals." Darn, did he think of everything? "Otherwise, anything goes!"

Three minutes later, I was on my own skimmer, facing a class of about fifty Talon cadets. None of them looked too sure on their rides.

As soon as Dark Ace blew his whistle, I sped straight towards them, as if playing the crazy game of chicken that he had just taught as his lesson. None of the kids flinched, although some pulled ahead of the others, racing towards me. I guess they all wanted to be the one to take me down; after all, the prize for the winner was no homework for a week. (Did I mention what an evil teacher Dark Ace was?)

I flew straight at them, picking up speed. My engine started coughing; he hadn't been kidding when he said the crystals had practically no juice. I could see the kid very well now; he was short, blonde, and slightly overweight. He seemed extremely confident; in fact, if my memory served me correctly, he was the one who seemed to think that everyone leaned when they rode their skimmer. I leaned forward, not giving away the direction I was going to veer off in.

We were heading straight towards each other, about three feet away. Suddenly, he seemed to realize that we were going to crash, and he leaned heavily to his left. I quickly turned to my right, not letting him dodge, and jumped forward, just as the skimmers crashed.

Just as I had hoped, the momentum from the explosion through me into the crowd of cadets. I landed on one of their wings, kicking the unfortunate kid off into the Wasteland. At least he had a parachute.

Then, I took his skimmer, and raced full speed away from the Cyclonian palace. Blue skies, here I come.

I heard screams of rage behind me. "Get back to Cyclonia! You will all be punished for your incompetence! I'm going after her myself!"

So the Dark Ace wanted to catch me, huh? Well, I had a head start, and there was no way in hell I was returning to Cyclonia. I almost pitied him, but then I decided I was still mad at him for everything he put me through.

I was free, and he was in for a big surprise. And not the nice kind, either.

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Next chapter will be up as soon as I'm inspired. No promises when! Please review anyways!


	16. Where Not To Fly

Author's Note: I want to most sincerely apologize to all the readers who kept waiting for this chapter, only to have me take about a week to update it. I'm so sorry! I got carried away with midterms, then I was struck by a great idea for "The Shadow War" which I just had to write, then…well, you know how excuses go. They just continue on and on, but it doesn't really make up for anything. Well, the next chapter is here, and I hope you enjoy it. Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks. Review corner before I begin!

Helliexx: Thanks so much, and thanks for reviewing!

I can't bother logging in: I'm so glad you like the pairing! Well, it is dramatic, but that doesn't exactly happen…thanks for reading and reviewing!

Pascy: Sorry I took so long! And if you hate cliffhanger…well, I'll say no more! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, though! Oh, when is the next chapter of "Oh, Hell" coming up? I love that story so much!

The Fallen One: Well, he is still chasing her. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Miasinpie: Thank you so much! I still can't believe that you actually like it!

Rita: Yeah. Thanks for reviewing!

PaigeyLou: So sorry that I took so long! Thanks for reading and reviewing, though. The next one should be up a lot faster!

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I squeezed the throttle, urging the rumbling engine to put out a bit more speed. The Dark Ace was right on my tail, and his energy blade could blast. I had no weapons.

"I'm going to catch you!" he shouted, punctuating each word with a bolt of red light. "Wouldn't it be easier not to be dragged back? Give up!"

I didn't even bother to reply. I figured the silent treatment would annoy him the most, and right now, the thing that I needed to concentrate on most was getting away. I didn't have time to exchange verbal banter.

There was a cloud ahead, and I headed straight for it. "Stupid girl, I've got a Firebolt crystal!" I groaned. Of course he would have a Firebolt Crystal; it was most compatible with his blade. It also allowed him to shoot lightening at me. Fun.

I plunged into the storm anyway. At least there I wasn't an open target. My hair whipped out behind me and the chilly wind stung my eyes, but still I urged the skimmer faster. Soon, I was completely surrounded by the weird grey mist that is the inside of clouds. Have you ever flown through a cloud? Well, it's wet. Very wet.

The Water Cycle: Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation. Science states that a cloud is water in a gaseous form which is cooled down to form droplets that then fall to earth as they gain enough size. Unfortunately, science tells us this in big, confusing words that make very little sense. Seriously, why can't it just say, "DON'T FLY INTO CLOUDS!"

The moment I plunged into the grey mist, I felt like a wall of water struck me. I was pushed back onto the seat of my skimmer, and my face and hands were pierced by the small, sharp droplets. The rest of my body fared a bit better, because it was covered in a Talon's uniform, but barely. The water pummeled me, and, of course, I was completely soaked.

_Kaboom!_ Lightening crashed a little to my left, illuminating the entire bottom of one storm front, and the Dark Ace flying through it. He looked absolutely fine.

Damm, I was an idiot sometimes. Maybe flying through rain-heavy clouds hurt a bit less it you weren't going over 90 km an hour.

_Kaboom!_ The lightening was closer, overhead and to the left. There was no was that I could keep hiding for that long; he was going to find me soon enough. There was no doubt about that.

Unless…I was crazy enough to plunge through the Wastelands. Then, I could make my escape while he searched the empty clouds for hours.

A risky plan. There was a good possibility that I could get seriously injured, or die. I grinned. This was going to be fun.

I turned my skimmer straight down, plunging towards the ground. I burst out of the bottom of the clouds, and instantly, the heat hit me. Maybe it was because I had just been freezing in the clouds, but the red hot magma seemed even more red and more hot. Faint white steam trailed my skimmer and me from the water evaporating.

The Wastelands were extremely dangerous. Duh. Let me explain just why you might want to reconsider a trip through this part of the Atmos:

1) The Magma-serpents.

I twisted out the way of one beast's snapping jaws, only to see another rise out of the bubbling lake of molten rock. The magma-serpents were truly intimidating monsters, with great grey scales dripping with the lava that they swam in and huge, sharp teeth.

Another burst out of the lava-lake in front of me, and although I swerved, I was a bit too slow to get completely out of the way. I flew through its snapping jaws, and although I got out just fine, it drooled all over my hair. Ew.

2) The geysers.

In the Wastelands, magma randomly shoots up into the sky. It's extremely hard to dodge because it can happen in any time, in any place. I figured this out the fifth time I tried to dodge one, didn't move fast enough, and got my eyebrows singed. Fun.

3) The heat.

In the Wastelands, the ground is half a roiling lake of lava. This adds up to it being hot, very hot. After about two minutes, the water that was soaking me was gone, evaporated. I was still soaked, though, in my own sweat. There were no breezes, no cool air—nothing but the endless heat from the molten rock. It must have been over 45 degrees Celsius (that's 113 degrees Fahrenheit for those too lazy to look it up). Also, the Talon uniform that I was wearing includes metal. Metal plus heat equals one very unhappy escapee.

4) The ash.

The Wastelands are a volcanic wasteland, and, of course, when you have continuous eruptions, you have the air filled with unending ash. Firstly, ash is no fun to breathe in. Secondly, the ash is _hot._ Imagine being hit by a tiny ember that sticks to your clothing, burning your skin, not cooling down. The air is completely filled with ash, although more in some areas than others. Naturally, I tried to avoid the more serious clouds of the dark, nasty stuff, but I got enough of it on my skin and in my lungs to feel seriously dirty.

5) The smell.

Ever studied volcanoes? Then you might know that when a volcano is about to explode, sulfur is released. Sulfur smells like rotten eggs.

Well, the Wastelands are in a constant state on impending volcanic eruption. Add two and two together: you get a constant smell of rotten eggs.

There are a lot more than five reasons to stay out of the Wastelands: multiple monsters, engines overheating leaving you stranded, or passing out from the heat or lack of clean, fresh air and crashing and dying, just to mention a few. Even if one does make it through the Wastelands, it's not an enjoyable trip, I promise.

Still, I managed to make good time, staying on course despite the many obstacles. After about an hour of flying through hell on Atmos (fires and all), I re-entered the clear skies with relief. Ahead of me was the large outline of Terra Gale.

Terra Gale was not an obvious choice for a runaway, as the mainland was controlled by Cyclonia. However, it is surrounded by many small, rocky, uninhabited islands that branch off of it. One of these mini-Terras houses the Rebel Ducks. I headed towards Terra Gale because (a), I could hide out in any one of the small offbranchings, and (b) I was hoping that the Ducks, especially Dove, who I had known briefly in the Sky Knight Academy (she had been a freshman when I was a senior), might be able to help me. At the very least, I could get food, medical care, skimmer refueling, and a _shower._

"Hi, Star-girl!"

Was this really happening to me? He decided to annoy me over the skimmer's radio? Why me? Why now? Don't these things have some sort of out-of-range area?

"Look behind you."

I glanced over my shoulder, and low and behold, he was flying about thirty feet behind me. How?—

"You know, if you want to escape, you might want to turn off the tracking device in all the student-lent skimmers. Stops them from stealing them to go to late-night parties. Apparently, it's also nice for tracking runaways."

I groaned. After all that, he had followed me from above the cloudline.

"Looks like you enjoyed your ride through the Wastelands, though. You'll really have to tell me about that one. Maybe on our trip back to Cyclonia."

I'm sure I really was quite a sight, soaked in my own sweat, covered in ash, scorched, and, of course, covered in serpent slobber. However, there was no way that I was going back to Cyclonia.

"Are we going to have to do this the hard way? Oh, wait, we're talking about you here, Star-girl. Of course we'll have to do this the hard way."

_Zap…Kaboom!_ A red bolt of light hit the wing of my skimmer, causing smoke to pour from the engine. Refusing to be intimidated, I yanked the controls to the left, doing a backflip and dodging three more shots.

My skimmer was falling rapidly. I wouldn't have time to make it to the Ducks' hideout; I needed to land, and land now. I turned towards one of the larger mini-Terras, probably five miles across, with a small mountain in the center surrounded by forest. I gritted my teeth in frustration, trying to retain control of the plummeting Sky Ride as the ground rose towards me at a dizzying rate…

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Aren't I just the evilest author in the world? Well, please review. I have off from school next week, so I should have more time to write, and therefore, more to update. REVIEW!


	17. Camping, Part 1

Author's Note: Next chapter is finally here! (See, I told you I would update more quickly!) Now, review corner time!

Helliexx: Thanks so much! I'm really glad you like it! Hope this is soon enough for you!

Pascy: Well, I don't try to write cliffhangers, but it's the easiest way to end a chapter and insure that people review. Plus, it's fun to be evil! I hope this is quick enough—I do have the Freshman retreat to go to this week, but they can't give us homework ;-) Yeah, I would be really angry too, but she should have thought and checked! I can't wait for the next chapter of 'Oh, Hell,' as soon as things get less busy! Oh, and as for how long this will be—I was writing down random ideas for plot twists (let me tell you, they're extremely evil!) and I'm not quite sure how long it will go on, only that it's going to continue for quite a while! There will definitely be more than twenty chapter, I promise, and probably even more than thirty! Thanks for the massive review, they're my favorite type!

Rita: Yeah, I am really lucky! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like it!

I can't bother logging in: Cliffies aren't that bad as long as it's updated soon! This is pretty soon (at least compared to my last update time). Yeah, any suggestions are welcome. If you have a funny scene you want to see, or a certain plot twist you think would be cool, just tell me and I'll try to work it in! Sorry about your bad day, but I'm glad it cheered you up ;-)! Thanks again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this one!

Miasinpie: Thanks! I'm really glad you like it! She can't kill him though! (1) He's basically just as good as her at fighting; they have fought a bit and it usually ends up basically being a tie, (2) if she kills him, then the story is over! Anyways, she's a good person, despite the troubles (okay, understatement) she's been through. She just can't kill in cold blood, and he's good enough that she wouldn't kill him in the heat of battle when they're fighting. Next chapter coming right up, sista!

Disclaimer: Don't own the Storm Hawks.

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_KABOOM!_ The skimmer rammed full-speed into the unforgiving rock of the cliff side, exploding in a noisy spectacle of screeching metal and burning rubber. Various flaming parts fell to the ground twenty feet below. Nothing could have survived the crash. _Nothing._

Which made me extremely happy that I had decided to jump off five seconds before, despite the fact that I was not wearing a parachute.

I spread my arms and legs, slowing down the fall as much as possible through the positioning of my body. If I could roll immediately after I hit the ground, I might be able to stand up and walk away with nothing broken—

The shock wave from the skimmer's explosion hit me, causing me to roll through the air. I repositioned myself, but the ground was too close. There wasn't enough time.

_Crack!_ I landed on my feet, ducking forward into a roll just like I had planned. Only, the 'landing' part didn't go as well as I would have hoped. My ankle twisted in a weird angle, throbbing in a fiery agony.

Pain. Pure pain overwhelmed me, rushing through my nerves and overwhelming my brain. My foot screamed in protest at every move, and even when it didn't move. Pain.

I leaned down, looking at it. It was swelling up extremely quickly, and my foot was sticking out at an unnatural angle. I poked and prodded it, testing to see if the bone was broken. Pain shot up my leg at each touch, but hey, I could deal with pain. Hadn't I already proven that in my stay at Cyclonia?

I was nearly positive that I hadn't broken anything, only sprained it. Or dislocated it. Can you dislocate your ankle?

Whatever, it didn't matter, as long as I could walk on it. I gave the swollen lump a look, then gritting my teeth, grabbed it with both hands, snapping in back into place. Ouch.

I ripped a strip of fabric from my Talon uniform, right around the stomach. It was so torn up anyway that I figured another rip wouldn't matter. Then, I wrapped my ankle tightly in the cloth. It throbbed under the pressure, but I figured it was good enough to hold the thing in place.

I pushed myself to my feet, and surprisingly enough, the binding held. Good. I needed to get as far away from here as possible. There was no doubt that the Dark Ace had seen the crash, and would soon be on my tail. I looked towards the sky, using the sun to get my bearings. The terra I needed to go to was east of here, so I set out towards it. The little Terra I was stranded on was just forest and more forest, with the steep, cliff-covered mountain I crashed into in the center. Not taking any chances, I broke myself off a branch. It was a good staff to lean on, and it could double as a weapon. It wouldn't last half a second against Dark Ace's blade, but hopefully I could use it to ward off whatever animals used the forest as their lair.

The sun slowly made its way down to the horizon. I made good progress—I must have walked at least a mile through the dense underbrush, on a sprained-and-maybe-broken ankle, no less.

Sometimes, I hear a skimmer passing overhead. I guess Dark Ace decided that it would be easier to hunt me from the skies then to comb the forests by foot. The only problem with his plan was the forests were thick. He could only fly over, and I doubt he could see anything through the dense treetops.

Finally, the sun began to set, and he pulled over into a small clearing. The night air was chilly, but soon he had a merry little fire crackling. Apparently, he had emergency rations, a First-Aid kit, tools to start a fire, even a tent and bedroll! Seriously, who was in charge of packing these skimmers? I thought regretfully back on the wreck of my own skimmer. I doubted anything would have survived that crash, especially not an emergency kit.

Slowly, carefully, making no sound, I made my way over to a bush near the edge of the clearing. My plan was simple: wait until he went to sleep, then take what I needed. Maybe I could even sabotage his skimmer or something.

"Star-girl!"

I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. He was looking right at the bush where I was crouching, too. Only my training allowed me to remain in control, motionless.

He turned, so he was facing the other direction. "Star-girl!" he called again.

Inside, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Outside, I remained a complete statue. He was just trying to find me. He hadn't actually discovered my hiding place yet. Suddenly, sneaking around so close to his campground seemed like a very bad idea. Now, though, there was nothing I could do; I was too close to him to get away without him hearing. I'd just have to wait.

"Star-girl!" he shouted. "You really should just come. Look, it's getting cold. Don't you want to warm yourself by my fire?" I suppressed the urge to shiver. The fire did look good. The breeze blew towards me, carrying the scent of the food he was cooking. "I have food. Aren't you hungry?" I was hungry. I was so hungry. My mouth was watering, but still, I didn't move. "I saw the site where your skimmer crashed. You probably need some medical attention. Just some to me, and I'll fix you up right away." My ankle throbbed. I did need to get a crystal on it, and soon.

He looked around for a minute, then he shrugged, and sat down to eat his meal, being really showy about it. I thought about his reasoning—it was cold, I was hungry, I needed First Aid, and who knew what animals roamed the forest at night? Still, if I turned myself in, I was surely doomed. Did I have a chance of survival on my own?

I decided to stick with my previous plan: wait around until he fell asleep, then steal the stuff that I needed. He took a long time eating, then made a good show of stretching and being warm and comfortable by the fire. I was sorely tempted to leap forward and give him a good shove into the fire, but with my ankle, I probably would have ended up tripping myself and falling flat on my face.

Finally, finally, _finally_ he shrugged, then walked inside his tent. I grinned.

_Wrrrrm!_ The sound of crystals powering up reached my ears. I peeked out of the bush.

A web of red lights surrounded the entire campsite. Cyclonian emergency packs also came with anti-intruder alerts.

There went my genius plan.

_Kaboom!_ Thunder rumbled overhead. I glanced up, to notice the sky was filled with rain-heavy clouds. Great. Perfect. What else could go wrong here?

"Grrrrr…" A low, menacing growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise sounded out from behind me. I turned slowly to see a pair of eyes glinting in the dark.

I shouldn't have asked.

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Me: And that's the chapter!

Starling: Why did you drag me here again? You already torture me enough in these stories of yours.

Dark Ace: She's already annoyed. You promised _I'd_ get to annoy her. How can I annoy her if she's already annoyed? I'm leaving.

Me: So neither of you are going to cooperate and help end this chapter?

Starling & Dark Ace: *simultaneously* Nope.

Me: Aw, you agree on something! So cute!

Starling & Dark Ace: *simultaneously* Ew!

Me: And now you're speaking at the same time! *squeal!*

Starling & Dark Ace: *simultaneously* I'm leaving.

Me: Heeheeheehee.

Starling & Dark Ace: *simultaneously, to each other* Shut up, already. This is getting creepy!

Me: Review!

Me: Oh, on last thing—warning to readers, if you sprain your ankle (I've done it, it's not that fun, and yes, I did actually hear it crack) DO NOT SNAP IT BACK IN PLACE! DO NOT WALK ON IT OR MOVE IT AT ALL! Go to the hospital!


	18. Camping, Part 2

Author's Note: I've been so busy. Yeah, I know I use that excuse every time. Sorry! Hopefully, today, tomorrow, and over the weekend I'll have a lot more time. I'll be able to update a lot more, and maybe even get a head-start on future chapters. Yeah, right, but I can still hope, right?

Review corner! (because reviewers are awesome!!!!)

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks so much. I'm really glad you like it! Actually, it might be a better idea just to be careful and not sprain your ankle in the first place (I learned that the hard way)!

Pascy: I'm so glad you think so! Poor Starling. I feel really bad for her. (You'll see why!) Well, I hope you like this chapter too! I can't wait for when you post the next chapter of "Oh, Hell." (no pressure, though!)

Rita: Well, Sky Knights never seem to get hurt (except in Five Days, which incidentally is one of my favorite episodes). Sorry about the lack of fluff—I love the fluffier parts, too, and I realized when writing this chapter that there's a bit less fluff than normal. Actually, a lot of the following chapters are more action less fluffy. I promise there will be more fluff, though! Fluff is fun!

Helliexx: So sorry about your ankle, too. It happened to me when visiting relatives, so then I had to go through about three airports on the way home with my crutches. Sometimes they wouldn't let me on the plane with the crutches, and I'd have to hand them over in the front of the plane. Of course, there was the nightmare of trying to sprint between one plane and another on crutches, too. The whole thing was a total disaster!

Miasinpie: Glad you like it. And no, Starling doesn't kill him this chapter, but there is plenty of action. I hope you like it!

Sweety Teee: Here is the update! Thanks for reading all my stuff. I'm really glad you like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

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I stared the thing that was growling at me straight in the eyes, refusing to show any fear. With wild animals, if you hold your ground, sometimes, if you're lucky, they might go away.

When have I ever been lucky?

The thing took another step forward, coming into Dark Ace's campfire light. It had a familiar facial structure, with a small snout and long, blue ears.

"Radarr?" I whispered, confused. It couldn't possibly be Radarr; it was as big as me, if not bigger.

"Wrrt!" The thing grinned, showing off sharp teeth, then motioned with its arms a bit.

"You know Radarr? He's, like, a younger cousin or something?"

The giant thing nodded. I was close enough.

It motioned for me to follow it, quietly, and I complied. It was very difficult to remain silent and fast in the forest at night, especially on a sprained, maybe-but-I-hoped-it-wasn't ankle. As I was stepping forward, it yanked me to the side, one large, blue, furry hand covering my mouth. I was astounded by its brute strength. I felt a twitch of doubts. This thing could snap me like a twig if it wanted to.

I peered through the bushes, and in doing so, I discovered why it had pulled me from the path. The Dark Ace was up, peering around the campfire with an Illuminator Crystal.

"You think he's seen us?" I whispered.

It nodded. "Wrattttttt!" It made little running motions.

"I can't go any faster!" I protested. "My ankle!"

It looked down at my leg, then patted its back. I stared at it in confusion as it repeated the motion. Patting its back…as if it wanted me to climb up.

"We'll have to be really fast," I huffed as I complied. "As soon as he sees us—AHH!"

We plunged out of the bushes, not caring for silence or secrecy anymore. His head snapped up, and he met my eyes. "NO, STARLING!" he screamed, then we were gone. We were going so fast, quicker than most skimmers. The tree branches whipped past my face, and I buried my head in the giant Radarr's blue shoulder, trying to protect myself. However, I quickly developed a collection of scratches from twigs hitting my face at high speeds.

I heard a strange, mechanical hum, and I looked up. Dark Ace was trying to follow our progress from above. "We've got to go faster!" I told my new friend. I couldn't tell if the big furry thing heard me or not, but the branches began to whip past with a lot more force. I ducked my head down again.

"Starling!" he shouted. I could barely hear him over the roar of the wind and the crackling of the underbrush. "That thing……. off of it! Get away….. idiot! ……do you want…dinner?"

I got the gist of it. He was mad that I was escaping on a thing that looked like the pet of his arch nemesis. He liked insulting me, by calling me mean names (not that I cared or anything.) Of course, he would finish by trying to tempt me with food. Didn't he see that those tactics didn't work the first time? I mean, seriously, offer me dinner when I'm escaping from him. I don't think all the lights were on upstairs with him, if you catch my meaning.

My ride put on another burst of speed, plunging into a hidden riverbed. The top of the mini-gorge was covered in underbrush, so I guess it looked like we disappeared. Take that, Dark Ace!

The thing slowed down now, taking relaxed strides that were still faster than I could run. I was impressed by it again—it was huge, it was fast, it was strong…was there nothing it couldn't do?

It pulled back a curtain of vines and moss, revealing the secret entrance to a cave. It walked inside, still carrying me on its back, and I was surprised at how clean-smelling and well-lit the place was. It obviously had an advanced ventilation system, and Illuminator Crystals had been rigged on the walls to provide a soft glow. The thing raised both arms, as if proud of its home.

Add "smart" to the list of good things that this Radarr-beast was.

It continued to walk forward, and motioned for me to follow. We went a bit deeper into the tunnel, and the chill of the outside air began to wear off. Suddenly, the thing disappeared. "Radarr thingy?" I called uncertainly. My entire surrounding felt a lot less welcoming and a lot more ominous without the big blue buddy next to me.

"Wrrt?"

I heard a familiar sound, even though I saw nothing. I took another step forward, the stopped, surprised, as I heard a snap. I had stepped on a branch. A skinny, familiar looking, _white _branch.

Oh, crap.

Suddenly, something made sense. Why in the world would the Dark Ace try to offer me dinner when I was getting away? He wasn't. I just couldn't hear him. "Do you want dinner?" could easily have been "Do you want to be dinner?"

Oh, crap.

Huge, strong, fast, smart, and a carnivore. Now it was _not_ a very good list.

Oh, crap.

_You really should think of some more choicer words. Spicen up your vocabulary,___the smart-alek voice in the back of my head told me. I turned and ran.

Of course, I instantly tripped on another bone, twisted my bad ankle again, and fell flat on my face. The last thing I remembered was long, furry blue arms grabbing me.

When I woke, I was surrounded by some kind of sticky web. I felt like a fly wrapped up, waiting for the spider to suck it dry. To make things even better, I had a nasty headache and my ankle throbbed.

Great, just great.

Across the cave, the beast thing was walking around. I'm not really sure what it was doing. It looked like the thing was playing with old bones.

I realized that the thing was eating dinner. That meant I was either the second course, or I was being saved for dinner.

It glanced over, realizing I was awake. It stalked over, then brought one claw down onto the organic ropes surrounding me. There was a hiss as gas was released. I tried to hold my breath, but I just couldn't for more than two minutes. Finally, I gasped air into my lungs, and to my dismay, it was sleeping gas. Blackness swooped down, wrapping me in its wings of night.

_CRASH!_

A huge thump woke me up, as the thing was thrown back into the wall. A figure glowing red landed lithely back on the ground, red energy blade held high.

Dark Ace! He had found me! Yes!

Um, I mean, he found me! Damm it!

He came and walked over to where I was tied up with the weird rope. His expression was slightly condescending and slightly relieved. I guess he was happy that his Master wouldn't punish him for losing me again. He shook his head. "Sheesh, Star-girl. This is why you're not allowed on dangerous Terras alone. Most on the animals want to eat you!" I rolled my eyes. Yeah, I had figured that one out on my own.

He raised his blade to cut me free, and everything slowed down. Cutting the rope? I took a quick gasp in, then he brought the blade down.

Gas hissed out all over, and I threw myself to the side. The gas didn't dissipate at all; it just hung in a cloud right where he stood.

I was still awake, due to my quick thinking. He had collapsed onto the ground, out cold.

He had saved my life. He risked his life to save mine. Why? Surely I wasn't that important to Cyclonis. So why would he save me?

Should I leave him here? He was trying to capture me, and he was a jerk. On the other hand, how could I leave him lying helpless on the ground when it was my stupidity that had gotten him there?

I sighed, the limped over to him. I grabbed one arm and began to drag.

*thirty minutes later*

The tunnel hadn't seemed so long when I had first walked through it, but I hadn't been carrying nearly twice my own weight. Also, my ankle was swollen and badly discolored. It had looked bad before, but now it was worse.

Thank God! He had parked his skimmer right outside the entrance. I hauled his slumped body up over the seat, then climbed on in front. It only took ten minutes from there to fly to his campsite.

The first thing I did was eat all his leftover dinner. I was hungry, and I might as well keep my strength up, right? The next thing I did was look for the First Aid kid. Inside, there was just the Healing Crystal I needed—blue for sprains, dislocations, and possible broken bones. I brought it down to my ankle, and as blue light flashed, the swelling disappeared. It was still tender, but it was a lot better.

Now I had a dilemma. Did I take any of his stuff? It might have tracking crystals on it, and I had no way of telling. I certainly couldn't steal his skimmer. What was safe to take?

In the end, I grabbed two energy daggers. They were spares, and if this Terra was as dangerous as it seemed, I was going to need protection. I left everything else.

I didn't glance back as I walked away.

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Hope you enjoyed! Please review!

In case anything wondered, this is what Dark Ace really said when Starling thought he was offering her dinner: "That thing _is a predator! Get_ off of it! Get away_, you_ idiot! _Or _do you want _to be_ dinner?" (Italicized is what she didn't hear)


	19. Decisions

Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! (Wow, this is a really quick update! I'm proud of myself.) I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update again; school is back in full swing, and there are _midterms_! Unfortunately, I can't really complain, because everyone has midterms, and they're not _that_ bad. Still, I'm in a go-on-vacation mood, not a back-to-school mood. Oh, well. But you understand if it takes me a while, right?

Review Corner! ;-)

Rita: I tried to make this one as fluffy as possible for you! Not really sure if it turned out that way, but I hope you like it anyway!

Helliexx: Yeah, I mean, it could have been worse. By then, my ankle had healed a bit, and I was used to my crutches. Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked the chapter!

Pascy: Thanks for being so understanding about the whole updating thing! Well, this is your entertaining chapter of what he does after he wakes up! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and I'm really glad you like it!

The Fallen One: I'm not really sure, Starling seems to be a magnet for trouble…I believe the real Radarr is with the Storm Hawks, wherever they are (yes, they will be making an appearance later on).

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: I'm so glad you like it! Next chapter, coming right up!

Sweety Teee: Hi! Well, if they admitted their feelings to each other, then there would be no tension! Plus, Starling is still convinced that she hates Dark Ace, and Dark Ace doesn't want to admit that he's weak enough to care for someone. So as fun as happy endings are, I'm saving them for the _end_. As for requesting "Being Cyclonis," I'm working on the next chapter right now! I never mind requests; as long as you want to read it, I'm more than happy to write it!

Disclaimer: Don't own the Storm Hawks. (duh. I mean, isn't that really obvious by now?)

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The moment I walked away from him, I instantly regretted it. First of all, he had the only skimmer. Second of all, he had the only _sleeping bag_, and I was cold. Also, a bedroll sounded like more fun than the cold, rocky ground.

What to do? He wasn't going to stay unconscious for long. In the end, I decided to search the area and see if there were any good places to hide.

I found the perfect spot; it was as if it had been made just for me. There was a lightening-struck tree, so about ten feet up it was hollow. It was also covered in thick foliage, so he wouldn't be able to see me, and large purple flowers, so my hair would blend well. Perfect.

Half an hour later, I wasn't sure how perfect it really was. The idiot hadn't woken up yet, and I was getting seriously cramped squatting in a hole in a tree ten feet up.

_Kaboom!_ Thunder crashed, and the sky began to mist down a light rain. Unlike usual, I had a bit of luck, and the thick foliage shielded me from the light, misting rain. Unfortunately, the same wasn't true for Dark Ace. He just lay there in the clearing, getting more and more wet and muddy. His fire even went out.

Well, too bad for him. There was no way I was feeling sorry for him. Despite the fact that I probably should have put him in his tent, and he had been knocked out by the sleeping gas rescuing me, and if he caught the flu and got seriously sick it would be all my fault—

He stirred, then groaned, pushing himself up. So he was still alive, and now awake. I remembered the dizziness and headaches that came as an aftereffect of the knockout gas, and I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. After all, he had risked himself to save my life…

What was I thinking!?! This was a man whose heart was made of ice. If he had a headache, then he deserved it! So what if he saved my life? The only reason he was interested in me at all was because Master Cyclonis had ordered him to get me. He didn't care about me at all. Even if he did, _I_ certainly didn't care about _him_. There was a difference in caring about people and saving their lives. I thought he was a selfish jerk, but that didn't mean he deserved to die.

He stirred again, then pushed himself out of the newly formed mud (raining, remember?) It was a nice feeling to be warm and dry while he was cold and wet. My stomach was full from his remaining supplies, and my ankle no longer hurt. I grinned evilly, despite the fact that no one could see me. It was a good, good feeling.

He looked around and seemed to guess what had happened to him, as he let out an extremely colorful volley of curse words. I tried to cover my ears. I mean, I'm twenty-one, a full-grown adult, and I still felt really embarrassed listening in. Seriously, I did not know there were so many vulgar ways to express anger. I did _not_ want to learn where he learned them all.

Finally, he pushed his muddy black hair off of his muddy wet forehead, and surveyed the scene. There wasn't much to see. Hopefully, he wouldn't even notice the First Aid crystal and daggers were gone.

He went to his pack, and I held my breath. Moment of truth…he pulled out an unfamiliar-looking crystal, and raised it to the center of his campground. Instantly, all the water inside of it dried up, and a canopy of light stopped the pouring drops from hitting him, too. A crystal umbrella. He re-started his fire, then he just sat there, staring at it, not moving.

What was going on? Was there something wrong with him? Was he just super-mad at me? I mean, it was kind of mean to just leave him there, but it wasn't like he hadn't done mean things to me. Still, why did I feel guilt twisting in my gut.

There was no way I liked him like that! He had absolutely no affection for me; anything he did for me was a part of Cyclonis's plan. It was all just a web to trap me in Cyclonia, in her clutches.

The only thing I felt for him was a fiery, burning hate.

He was staring into the fire, then he dropped his head in his hands. "Why, Starling?" he whispered.

I stared in shock. Firstly, he was talking to himself? Secondly, about me? Thirdly, he seemed upset? Fourthly, he was actually using my real name, not some cheesy disgusting nickname like Star-Girl? This would be interesting.

"Why, Starling!" he repeated, almost shouting now. "You stupid girl! Why can't you just do what you're supposed to? Why can't you just come back to Cyclonia with me? You'd be safe there!"

More like he'd get a reward from his precious Master. I was surprised at the bitterness in my thoughts, but then again, he was evil. I was allowed to hate him. Because that's what I felt about him: hate. He was an evil jerk, and he wasn't worth a second of my time.

"Starling! Why can't you just…Damm you, you're too strong and smart and beautiful and fiery-spirited and stubborn. You'll never surrender, and that's just one of the things I love so much about you. Just come back!"

There was water on his cheeks. Of course there was water on his cheeks! It was raining! Although, hadn't his umbrella crystal dried him off?

He was a really good actor, that was all. I wasn't going to fall for it anymore. I didn't care about it at all. This was just a mind game, and I was going to win. He was the enemy, he was heartless, and I hated him!

"Starling, please, come back. I can't bear the thought of you out there in the wild, with all the dangerous beasts and in the cold and the rain. Please some back to me. I promise you'll be safe! All I want is for you to be safe!"

His words pierced my heart like a sword, and I nearly called out to him, telling him that I was here, that I was safe. I stopped myself just in time. This was all just an act. He never really cared about me. He never cared about anyone but himself.

He buried his head in his hands, and his lean frame shook. It looked just like he was sobbing, but I knew that couldn't be true. He was the Dark Ace. He never cried.

When his head lifted up again, my suspicions were proved correct. There was only anger in his dry, crimson eyes. "Damm you, Starling!" he shouted, shaking his fist at the fire. "I will get you, and when I do, you'll be sorry you ever ran away! You'll wish you just stayed in Cyclonia!"

I felt a shiver run down my spine. Mood swings, anyone? He was a dangerous foe, I had to keep that in mind. He was the enemy, and in the end, my life didn't matter to him.

I was very glad I didn't turn myself in.

There was no way I was going to be able to get his skimmer; he was guarding it now, and I did not want to give away the Rebel Ducks' hideout because of another stupid tracking beacon that I didn't know how to disable. That only left one option of transportation: walking through the Wastelands.

I don't think anyone's ever done anything as crazy as that—climb down the side of a Terra, walk through the Wastelands, and climb up the side of another Terra. Still, it couldn't be that hard. It was just walking a couple of miles, and I knew exactly where the Terra was. With my weapons I could ward off monsters.

I smiled. My decision was made. Now, there was only one thing left to do…

Ten hours later, I was extremely cramped and mad at my hiding place. It had seemed like a good idea at the start, but my legs had been asleep for so long. Also, sitting in a tree for ten hours is really boring, even if you snooze a bit. The rainwater had started dripping down from the leaves, so I was slightly wet, cold, cramped, bored, and extremely annoyed. Not a very nice combination.

The Dark Ace had been in his tent sleeping for about an hour, and I was nearly positive that he was completely unconscious. Moving slowly and carefully, I stepped down inside the umbrella. He still had his intruder-alert barrier on, but I leapt down from the tree inside of it. Skills.

I quickly stood from the crouch that I had landed it, only to have the blood rush to my sleeping legs. They gave out under me, making me fall right on my backside. Smooth, Starling. Very smooth.

After about a minute of extremely painful pins and needles, I could sort of feel my feet again. Good enough for me. I pushed myself up off the ground.

As I snuck over to his skimmer, I could just swear that someone was playing a suspenseful theme. At least, I could hear it in my head. Really, now all that had to happen was something cliché like me slipping, falling flat on my face, and waking Dark Ace up. Or he wouldn't be asleep in the first place and he'd jump out and capture me…

I got to his skimmer without any of those things happening. Score! And…was that really…he had my crystal nunckucks on the back of his skimmer! I can't believe I didn't see them before! Why in the world would he bring them? I decided I didn't care. Grinning evilly, I grabbed them.

Next, I rummaged through his crystals until I found what I needed—a spare Firebolt crystal. I grinned. Perfect. Just perfect. I brought one of the extra daggers down onto the crystal, so it was half-split, then left the sparking thing on the seat of his skimmer. I sprinted in the other direction, not caring about the intruder-alert crystal, because—

_KABOOOM!_ The crystal exploded, taking his skimmer out with it. I smirked. Against a background of flames I could see his dark figure jump up and rush out of the tent. Too late.

I was already near the edge of the Terra, so it didn't take long to reach the cliff-like ending of the land. I was getting away. Things were finally going alright for me for once. Grinning, I began my climb down into the Wastelands…

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There it is! Please review!!!! Please!!!!!!!


	20. Wastelands, Part 1

Author's Note: Yeah, I've taken a while. I started two more new stories, and they're a lot of fun. I don't have time to update every story every night, so I only can get so many updates out there. Still, I was surprised how quick this one was to write, especially because it was so long. I thought it was fun, and I hope you like it just as much! Oh—today is Pascy's birthday, so this chapter is dedicated to her. Extra long, too!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Helliexx: Well, she's about to discover just how not-smart it might have been! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like the chapter!

Pascy: Happy Birthday! As for what happens in the Wastelands, that's what the next few chapters are about! Dark Ace's mood swings were meant to be him just ranting, only Starling doesn't want to believe that he has a heart, so she _thinks_ he's acting. Hope that clears it up! Oh, and midterms are just like finals except in the middle of a semester. They're a giant test covering everything you've done all year. Lucky, you don't have them!

Rita: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy this one, too!

Miasinpie: Hope you enjoyed Utah! Yeah, I finally got around to updating! As for the "pattern," I promise it's about to change…you'll see in the ending, the next couple chapters are definitely not going to be the "normal." I think your MiCharacter is awesome! You know, you could go a long way with "Mi" stuff…your MiPod, your MiTunes, your MiPhone…hehehe, I'm having such a good time here off topic (by the way, that was an evil chuckle, not an evil laugh!) Well, I hope you like this chapter! It has a bit more action!

I can't bother logging in: Hey, it's fine! I've been updating really erratically, so it's more my fault than yours! As for when Dark Ace is ranting, you got it spot on—he's just screaming what he thinks at inanimate objects, but Starling thinks he's acting. He has no idea she heard. Thanks for your super long review, and I hope you like this chapter too!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! I hope you enjoy!

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I was probably about twenty feet down the side of the Terra when he finally caught up with me. It took him another five minutes to realize that I had started climbing down. By then I was at least fifty feet down.

"Star-girl? What are you doing?"

I looked up. "Took you long enough to catch up. I've got a Terra to go to, and right now, this is our only way off this crazy place with its huge predators."

He laughed. What is it with these evil people and their laughing. Seriously, if he laughs at me one more time… "Star-girl, it's only dangerous if you don't know what to trust or not. Now, I have a radio, and Cyclonia is coming to pick us up. Why don't you wait here with me, nice and safe, instead of climbing down into hell?"

I glared at him. "Just how stupid do you think I am? You know what—you're right. It's only dangerous if you don't know what to trust. Well, I've learned not to trust _you_. And has it been obvious or not that I'd rather die than go back to Cyclonia?"

He was rendered speechless for a moment, then he climbed over the edge himself. "What in bloody hell are you doing?" I hissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied. "I'm coming with you. Someone needs to protect your back until you see sense, Star-girl."

He was over the edge now, like a spider on a wall. He was also faster than me. I sighed, then picked up the pace going down. No way he was going to catch up with me. I had a fifteen-minute head-start; I was more than halfway down by now.

"Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm serious?"

I glanced down at the ground. It was only twenty feet away. I tried turning around, so my back was on the wall. Perfect. Suddenly, my right hand slipped, and I was left hanging by one arm. The piece of rock clattered down, setting loose a small volley of pebbles and dirt.

Perfect. It was perfect for sliding.

Carefully, bracing one arm against the side, I let myself go, starting to slide. Just as I had planned, it worked. Although it was rather bumpy on the way down, I slid to the ground.

The Wastelands.

Actually, by the edges of a Terra's base, it isn't that bad. There's a lot of dry land; you only really get magma at least mile out. Because there is no magma, most of the monsters, like the magma serpents, are also missing. I mean, it still smells bad, and there's no way I would like to live there, but a traveler's life wasn't in immediate danger.

I took one last look at Dark Ace struggling on the cliff-like slopes of the Terra, then turned my back and walked away.

For about fifteen minutes I jogged, keeping up a steady pace. I was winded, but not that tired. Unfortunately, my clear ground only lasted so long. I had a few (okay, more than a few) problems.

First of all, I was in the Wastelands. Pretty self-explanatory, that one. Do I have to go over the "ash, monsters, smelly, hot" list all over again? Basically, it smelled horrible, I was sweating buckets, and there was ash plastered against my skin and in my lungs. So far, I hadn't met any monsters, but I didn't expect that to last.

Secondly, the combination of ash and the cloudline didn't allow me to see the sky. It doesn't sound that bad, but without the sun, I had no way of telling if I was going in the right direction. I just had to pray that my ability to walk in straight lines could be relied on.

Also, the only thing I had with me was my crystal nunchucks. This is nice when you're trying to move quickly and you can't afford to be carrying a large load, but it also meant that I had no food, water, basic first aid equipment, or crystals. The "no food and water" part was what was really starting to bug me.

In addition, how was I planning on sleeping at night? The Wastelands were constantly changing, with certain parts sinking into the magma and new eruptions all the time. How could I rest, not knowing if a monster would kill me while I slept or if the ground I was on would sink into a lake of molten rock?

Finally, the fact that _he_ was out there tracking me down did nothing to calm my nerves.

I glanced over my shoulder, then shrugged, as there was no use worrying over things I couldn't control, and continued to pick my way through the magma field. It took me twenty minutes to get the same number of meters across the dangerous terrain.

"Starling!"

I didn't even both to glance back at him. I was not losing my footing on the treacherous, lava-covered ground.

"STARLING DUCK AND ROLL RIGHT NOW!!!"

The desperation in his voice clicked in my mind, and acting completely on instinct, I ducked, hurtling myself forward in a roll over my shoulder. I landed one and a half meters forward in a crouch, and whirled around. The ground was rocky and it cut my shoulder in several places. I had barely missed flying into a puddle of magma. There had better been some emergency about to bite my head off, or I was going to _kill him_.

I looked up, staring into the gaping jaws of a huge magma serpent. Yep, there was some emergency trying to bite my head off. If I were a paranoid Merb pilot, I might have been thinking something along the lines of, "I'm doomed." Actually, looking at the gianormous teeth each bigger than my arm dripping with drool and the red-hot coal-like eyes, I was pretty much convinced of my doom. I'm not sure how the huge thing managed to sneak up behind me without making any noise, but I didn't really care. Right now, there were more important things to worry about.

I saw no way out of my situation. I could always try to run, but the magma-field was treacherous, and I probably wouldn't get too far. The magma serpent had the advantage that it could slither through magma. I could try to fight this thing, but it was already practically eating me, and my nunchucks were too closed-ranged to do much. My only option was to do what I had been doing—just keep dodging. Unfortunately, that would only last so long—I was tired, and I was barely staying out of the magma, and one of these times the huge beast would get lucky, snap its jaws fast enough, and gobble me up. Fun.

I leapt and rolled again, but it was just to fast. The side of its head knocked me through the air, slamming me into a large boulder. I slid to the ground, winded, seeing stars. Literally, tiny spots of light filled my vision and certain sections started going black. My midsection hurt like hell, and I decided I had broken a rib. I coughed, and a bit of blood came up. I couldn't get enough oxygen in, and I started blacking out.

_No, Starling! Get up!_ I told myself. _You don't want to die! Get up! Fight!_

_Get up! Live!_

_Wait a second…that wasn't my voice? Who's in my head?_

Nothing replied, but I could have sworn, it was _their_ voices. My squadron. The Interceptors.

_How can they be in my head? Am I having a near-death hallucination again?_ _Was this how they felt before Repton ripped their lives away from them?_

It hurt. It hurt a lot. The serpent took its time slithering over to me, and opening its jaws. There was a lot of fear in me. I didn't want to die. I wondered if I had gone through everything—all the pain, the torture, the trouble to escape—just to be eaten by some Wasteland monster. Instantly, I was filled with a rage greater than anything I had ever felt before.

What right did this monster have to eat me? Did it think that I was just some easy prey? Well, I thought not! I was not going down without a fight!

My fingers tightened, and I realized that I was still clutching my nunchucks. Perfect. It opened its mouth to roar at me, and I flew forward, jumping _into_ its mouth and shoving one end of my weapon up through the roof of its mouth into its brain. It shook around, but I clutched the remaining dangling nunchuck, holding on for my dear life. Finally, the thing's seizures got less and less strong, and I ripped out my weapon and half-stumbled, half-fell out of its still-open mouth onto the ground. Its limp body slid underneath the lava.

My adrenaline had worn off, and I was drop-dead tired. My entire body ached. My ankle was throbbing again, and there was a sharp pain in my side, which hurt more every time I tried to breathe. Each breath was a short gasp, and even that hurt. The world was spinning.

I was _not_ giving up. I was _not_ done with life. I was going to get up and keep moving…in five seconds.

One…two…three…four…five. _Okay, get up now, Starling._ My body screaming in protest, I pushed myself up using the rocks around me. My legs were shaky, but I could stand. I could walk. I began to make my way back across the magma-strewn Wastelands.

"Hey! Ugly! Over here! Look at me! I'm a much bigger meal!"

I turned, to see Dark Ace waving his hands in the air, making another two magma-serpents turn from me to him. In my current condition, I probably wasn't up for another fight. He had saved my life, but he was in the same position I was in before, only he had an energy blade that could shoot, and there were two attacking him, not one.

He leapt into the air, glowing red, and preformed his signature move shooting a huge bolt of red at one of the beasts. I couldn't help but admire his form, and his bravery. It took some guts to straight-out fight two of these gigantic things; you had to give him that. As I watched him swing his glowing blade down with a vengeance onto the first serpent, I also realized why he was considered the best fighter in the Atmos (although Aerrow had beaten him many times). He was actually good. Very good. As in take-down-a-magma-serpent-in-one-shot good.

The second one was bigger and smarter. It used his distraction to push him backwards, keeping him purely on defensive. This meant he had no opportunities to fight back, as he was too busy making sure he didn't get eaten, and each step took him closer to the magma-field. If he was forced there, he wouldn't be able to back up anymore without falling into lava.

I had stopped moving forward. I was just standing there, watching the battle.

I bit my lip. I had to get a move on, and he meant nothing to me. Nothing! Actually, if he was eaten, it was all for the better, as he wouldn't be able to track me down anymore. I would just turn my back and walk away.

So why was I heading towards the monster?

I was going to try to save him. Before I could convince myself how insane I was, I jumped onto the beast's tail, sprinting up its spine. Soon, I was perched on its head, but it didn't even notice me.

The Dark Ace's eyes widened as he noticed me standing on it. I took a deep breath, then raised my nunchucks and plunged them down deep into its left eye. The monster screamed and buckled, throwing me off of it and into another boulder. As the unforgiving rock flew closer, I prayed it was going to be one of those things in which it doesn't hurt until after you wake up.

_Splat!_

Nope. I guess I'm just not lucky that way. The pain exploded all throughout my chest and lungs as the wind was knocked out of me again. Luckily, I don't _think_ I broke anything that time.

The Dark Ace walked over to the monster's corpse, examining my handiwork, before giving me another appraising look. I didn't even have the energy to glare back. Then, he walked over to the thing and pulled my weapon out of its eye.

I groaned weakly. My vision was going blurry, but I could tell he was walking over to me. Only, why was he sideways? Or was I sideways? But wouldn't I notice if I was sideways?

He kneeled down next to me and I felt very, very scared. The situation had escalated completely out of my control. I was at his mercy. "You know, I never knew how truly handy it was to have a Sky Knight around. You and all your stupid honor actually saved my life."

I took a shuddering breath, filling my lungs so I could spit back a witty retort. What came out was, "You saved me first, yelling for me to duck. I just returned the favor."

He laughed. "You're always humble, Star-girl. Now, aren't you happy I'm here?"

"Not really."

"Well, I decided to bring the First Aid kit, which you would have left on that Terra. Along with five large canteens of water and three days' worth food. Did you really think I would take so long to catch up if I hadn't been carrying stuff?"

I reviewed my options. Not many. You see, remember all the problems with the Wasteland? Well, there wasn't much he could do about the smell, the heat, or the ash. However, monsters would be a lot easier to fight off with him at my side. He had food, water—I bet he even had a compass in that survival pack of his. He could keep watch half of the night, allowing me time to rest, and with him at my side I wouldn't have to worry about him popping up at the worst times.

"Alright, heal me up," I growled. I wasn't very happy, but it was my only choice. "When we're in the Wastelands, we're allies."

He gave me a superior grin. "Here I have you absolutely helpless. What makes you think I want to give you the opportunity to escape again?"

My eyes widened. Really? After I had saved his life and everything?

He chuckled again. "Kidding, Star-girl. I just wanted to see the look on your face. You didn't disappoint."

My breath came back with a huge "Whoosh" and my cheeks tinged pink. I felt half embarrassed that I fell for his trick and half infuriated that he would play such a mean joke on me. "Yeah, well, just see how you'd like carrying me several miles to the edge of a terra, not to mention all the way up," I shot back.

He grinned again. I guess he got kicks over the fact that he could annoy me so easily.

Getting crystals from the first aid kit, he moved with surprising efficiency. In about three minutes, he had blasted my chest with some unknown crystal, and wrapped up my ribs for extra support. (I was not happy in letting him see me in a bra, but come on—choice between survival and embarrassment. I'm not that prideful.)

"You'll be winded, dizzy, and tired for a couple of days, but you'll heal up just fine," he informed me. "Try not to participate in any strenuous activities for about a week."

"Does that mean no jumping on magma-serpents?" I snorted. "Fat chance."

I stood up, looking around. There were many Terras' bases rising from the hellish landscape. Everything looked pretty much the same in every direction. In all the fighting, I had gotten completely turned around.

I turned to face my new ally. As much as I hated to ask for help…

"Any chance you've got a compass in that Cyclonian superpack of yours?"

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Next one coming up whenever. No promises. Please review!


	21. Wastelands, Part 2

Author's Note: Hello! I'm back! And in a way too good mood! (Not because I had too much candy, but because there's no homework over Halloween weekend!) Plus, my mother isn't forcing me to trick-or-treat, which means I get to stay home and do my favorite thing in the world: write Fanfiction! (I'm serious) Oh, speaking of Fanfiction, I'm making a web-comic out of "The Same Team." I'm already done chapter one, and as soon as I've gotten my scanner working I'll post it. It will probably be up in a few days! If you're interested, I'll give you the link!

Review Corner! Because reviewers are so awesome that I want to thank you each personally!

Helliexx: Thanks so much, and thanks for reviewing!

Rita: Yes, the fluff has finally come back. This is a super-fluffed up chapter. And as for the dancing…well, I was just re-reading your review, and I realized…okay, I'm not going to spoil anything, but…well, just read the chapter. Hope it's fluffy enough! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Oh, and good luck with your crush.

Miasinpie: I'm so glad that you like it. We seriously need to have a Lion King marathon (sorry, random).

Pascy: I'm glad that you liked it so much! Don't worry…I might take a while to update, but I always will eventually finish my stories! As for what happens in the Wastelands, well, you're about to see! Hey, are you thinking of updating "Oh, Hell," soon? No pressure, but I miss reading it! Anytime is cool!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: No. I wish! I'm really honored that you think I'm that good, though. Thanks so much for reviewing!

Djap: More is here! Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm really glad that you like this one!

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Cyclonian Wonder-boy did indeed have a compass. I repressed the urge to snatch it from his hand as he dug it from his pack, obviously taking his time. However, when he finally got it out of his pack and put it in my hand, he wouldn't let go. I was left in the awkward situation of not wanting to let go of the compass, but also not wanting to touch his hand. I pulled back, but he just held on harder. Why didn't he just give it to me?

_Jerk._

I realized he was probably waiting for something. Of course—he thought I was some well-mannered Sky Knight. "Please and Thank You," I grumbled.

He let go, and I nearly fell back from the lack of pressure. I didn't realize how hard I had been pulling. I stumbled, and, of course, there just had to be a puddle of magma right behind me.

I fell in and died. The end.

Yeah right.

He had inhumanly good reflexes. As soon as I began to stumble and tip backwards, he leapt forward, catching me with one hand behind my head and one hand in the small of my back. I was left suspended about twenty centimeters above the boiling rock. (No, my hair didn't get singed. It was pulled back in its usual low pony tail, and it wasn't long enough to be burnt). It might have fit well into a ballroom dancing scene, although I probably would have tried to kill him for dancing with me. However, due to the fact that he had just saved me from the red hot molten rock, I decided to cut him some slack.

He hoisted me up, setting me on my feet, grinning superiorly.

Okay, not that much slack. He was still going to get it verbally. "What was that for?!?" I snarled.

He looked hurt. "Okay, next time I won't save your life." He glanced at the compass in my hand, and discerning east, began to hike through the various obstacles of the Wastelands.

I stared at his retreating back, waiting for him to return and apologize. He just kept walking.

How dare he!?! How dare he just walk away from me!?! What right did he think he had to knock me down and then blame me, and walk away!?!

I felt…jilted*.

Wait a second, why was his rejection affecting me so badly? I wanted him to go away, right? Only he was still carrying all the equipment. Plus, I didn't want to be alone. I was just struck by this illogical, but immutable desire to be in someone else's presence who at least pretended to care about me. I had spent five longs years alone since…it…happened alone, and suddenly, now, I needed some company. And I was in the Wastelands and the only person around for thousands of kilometers was him.

Actually, now that I thought about it, I had been pretty ungrateful back there. He _had_ saved my life after all, and I had no reason to snap at him. Actually, I had behaved pretty rudely, trying to snatch his compass from him, not even properly thanking him, and then getting mad at him for saving me. I had behaved…like a Cyclonian. That was _not_ the way I had been trained to act. That was _not_ the way a Sky Knight acted.

It was never to late to say sorry.

It would mean swallowing my pride, but it would also mean doing the right thing.

I scurried over the broken landscape to try to catch up to him. He had a head start, but he was also carrying stuff, and I suspected he was purposely going slowly. It took me about thirty seconds to reach him.

I walked awkwardly next to him for a few seconds. He didn't make any indication that he noticed me, and I wasn't sure how to start. Finally, blushing and looking down at my feet, I began to speak. "I'm sorry. I've been acting really rudely towards you. Down here, we've agreed to be allies, and that means we look out for each other. We watch each other's backs. But ever since we've been down here, I've done nothing but act rudely. I'm extremely sorry."

I expected him to laugh, and sure enough, that was the reaction I got. I raised my head defiantly, determined not to lose my temper but also unwilling to stare at the ground embarrassed as he made fun of me. However, to my surprise, when I met his eyes, he was not laughing derisively. His eyes actually seemed to sparkle with real mirth. "Oh, Star-girl, I will never understand what goes on in your mind. You thought you had to apologize to me? After all I've done to you?"

I felt myself cheeks flush again, and there was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't really mind the fact that he called me "Star-girl;" I had gotten used to that. Actually, it was kind of cute that he was still calling me by that nickname after all this time. "But…why—" I sputtered.

"Why do I seem mad? Maybe because the Wastelands aren't exactly my dream vacation spot," he replied. He sighed again.

There was something else that was wrong, but I didn't want to push him. After all, we were on speaking terms, and I didn't want to ruin the fragile semblance of friendship that we had built.

We trudged on for another couple hours, in a comfortable silence. Neither of us particularly felt the need to blab to each other, but neither of us felt uncomfortable either. We were both lost in our own thoughts.

I found myself glancing at him, a lot. I was curious: why did he betray Atmosia? Was he crazy? What went through that head of his? How come he was so loyal to some witch-kid if he was at the same time so independent and prideful? And why was he going through so much trouble over _me_? I mean, surely I couldn't be worth that much to Cyclonis!

As time passed, I found myself staring at him more and more. He was quite…good looking: lean, muscular, with chiseled features. I might have even been interested in him if situations were different…

But they weren't. We were enemies. Maybe here we could be polite, and guard each other's backs, but we were still enemies up there. I was not going to make the mistake of forgetting that, not now, not ever.

However, my traitorous brain couldn't help but notice another detail: he kept looking back at me.

Why was he looking at me? Did I have something on me, a smudge on my nose? Wait a sec, strike that. I was covered in ash. Yeah, duh, I had something on my nose, and my cheeks, and my entire body, for that matter. I was covered in ash and grime and sweat. So what? He was too.

Was there something wrong with me? Did I look weird? Was I doing something wrong?

"You're staring at me."

"Huh?"

Dark Ace repeated his statement. "You're staring at me."

I felt my cheeks redden. "Well, that's just because you're staring at me."

He opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it again, smirking. He gave me another long look, then turned his head back, shaking it lightly.

Did I say something wrong?

Together, we hiked on through the Wastelands.

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* a note on the word choice: jilted literally means, "suddenly rejected or abandoned by a lover," however, in the context, Dark Ace is _not_ Starling's lover (yet…)

That was probably as close to fluffy as you get with Starling and Dark Ace without having them both be OOC. I hope you liked it! Feedback is much appreciated.


	22. Wastelands, Part 3

Author's Note: I know this update is really fast, way faster than my usual. I also know that it's slightly longer than usual. You want to know who to thank for this? **I can't bother logging in**. After receiving the review you gave, it just really got me thinking, then it got me writing…so thank you so much! If this chapter looks a bit familiar…

Okay, there was also the issue of the web-comic. A few people said they were interested, so here is the link!

http://smartkitty314(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#The-Same-Team

The "." were replaced with "(dot)" so that it would show up!

Review corner!

Miasinpie: Yeah, see you on Monday. I'm still creeped out about the dance, and it wasn't even me that it happened to! I feel so bad for you. On a random note, I love evil glares! (hehe, you'll see what I mean…I will bite you and Lauren both!)

Pascy: I'm glad you got a kick out of it! As for why Dark Ace doesn't like the Wastelands, it wasn't about the Wastelands, it was about her. He's upset that he actually likes her and that she doesn't understand and he doesn't like not knowing whether or not she likes him back. He's used to getting his way, and it feels weird and awkward for him to be patient. That's what came to my head, at least. I'm super-excited about Oh Hell!

Helliexx: Thanks so much, and thanks for reading and reviewing!

I can't bother logging in: I don't mind. I know how annoying it is to try to remember. Anyway, you've given me so many great reviews—why would I mind if you accidentally missed a few chapters? I'm just super-happy that you're reading the story in the first place! Thank you again for the amazing idea in your review. This entire chapter is practically based on that idea. You are awesome!!!!!

Blaze Namine: I know what you mean, exams are evil! I hate them, too! Luckily, I don't have too many this year! I'm really glad that you like this story, and I'm happy it offers some relief. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! As for the web-comic, the link is up there, but I'm not so sure how good it is. I'm really more of a writer than an artist, but I did try! Thanks so much for the review, and I can't wait to read your next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks.

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Apparently, there was night in the Wastelands. You could tell because the sky got a slightly darker red and it goes from so-hot-I-want-to-die to still-way-too-hot-but-a-bit-more-bearable. Still, you have to watch out for the dangers. Night and day make little difference in Atmos's very own homegrown hell.

We were sitting together next to our pile of packs, chewing on hard biscuits and beef jerky, trying not to get one each other's nerves. Which meant that I stared in sullen silence off to the distance and glared at him every time I felt him looking at me.

"So, do you want to talk about it?"

I whirled around, giving him my best _I-will-bite-you_ look. It works on most people, but he just wasn't intimidated. "Talk about what?" I snarled.

"Your childhood, your squadron, you know. I bet you've been holding it all in for a while, and I was wondering if you needed a sympathetic ear."

I reeled back in confusion, then my annoyance returned. "Yeah, I'll just tell you my whole life story, and then if you manage to get me back to Cyclonia you'll know exactly how I feel about things. It would probably make it a lot easier for you to blackmail and torture me. Just how dumb do you think I am?"

He sighed, as if he had been expecting that. I felt a bit bad for the harshness of my reply, but seriously, I did not trust him at all. That was just the sort of mean trick he would pull on me.

"How about we talk about you?" I continued.

He looked at me thoughtfully, then replied, "Well, if it's the only way to get you to trust me, then sure. I'll answer your questions." My mouth flopped open in surprise.

"Why did you betray the Storm Hawks?" was the first thing that popped out. I think it was the biggest mystery of all, and I wanted to know the answer so badly.

"It's a long, sad story. Are you sure you want to know?" I nodded eagerly. "Do you know that I'm an orphan? I was born and raised on a Cyclonian Terra, and when I was five years old, Sky Knights attacked. I watched them slit my father's throat, rape and murder my mother and older sister, and then turn to me. I'm not sure what they were planning on doing to me, but I attacked them. I fought them as hard as I could, unarmed, just a kid, and in shock.

"Well, they overpowered me quite quickly, but they were impressed at my bravery and raw talent, so they shipped me off to the Sky Knight Academy.

"At the Academy, at first I refused to participate. I would not even tell them my name when the teachers asked in class. I would not speak, eat, and I only slept when I became so exhausted that I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was determined to resist them.

"About a week in, they switched me from academics to a combat course. I was told to fight a classmate. This order I could obey. Any harm I could inflict upon them was fine with me. I beat the kid, badly. The teacher had to drag me off of his unconscious body.

"I was put in a higher-level combat course. I beat all the kids there, too.

"They began to call me 'Ace' because of my legendary combat skills.

"Slowly, very slowly, I began to open up. There was an older boy who was in most of my fighting classes who I actually began to talk to. His name was Strike, Lightening Strike. Aerrow's father. I began…not to become friends with him, not even to trust him, but to let my guard down around him a bit.

"When he graduated and formed a squadron, he requested me. It meant that I wouldn't be able to complete my training, and I wouldn't be able to become a Sky Knight, but I didn't care. I didn't want anything to do with the Sky Knights. I only liked Strike, so I joined his squadron, the Storm Hawks.

"I was actually happy there for a little while. Strike let me pilot his skimmer since I was too poor to afford my own, plus too young to have my own legally. I found companionship. For the first time since I was five, I felt content. I felt like I had found my place.

"But it was changing me.

"I was losing all the things that made me, well, me. I was becoming just another Sky Knight Squaddie, and I hated it. It fueled my anger, it made me lust for revenge on the killers of my family. One day I couldn't take it anymore, so I turned around, and killed them.

"Do you know what I saw? In his eyes, my only friend's eyes, as I pushed his stabbed and bleeding body into the Wastelands? I saw them. The same merciless glare of anger that they all wore when they murdered my family. Only it was on my face. Only his blood was on my hands.

"I was thirteen years old at the time. But there was no turning back for me."

My mind went blank. I stared in shock at him. He was right: if I could go back, I probably would not have wanted to hear that.

It changed everything. He was an orphan like me. At five years old, he had seen—I didn't even want to think about it. He had every reason to fight back against his enemy, and even worse, he did feel remorse. He wasn't heartless.

A sly voice in the back of my head also noted that if he had betrayed the Storm Hawks when he was only thirteen, and practically taken out every Sky Knight squadron, not only was he super skilled, but he was also only twenty-three, which was just two years older than me…

"So, anything else you're dying to know?"

His story brought up more questions than answers, so there were a million things I wanted to know. There were a lot of thoughts on right and wrong, and who really had the high moral ground in this conflict. I also felt extremely bad for him—he had it worse than me. His past was so tangled and black that I probably would have committed suicide by then if I were he. The way he never gave up hope was amazing.

I decided on a less deep question. Actually, it was really superficial, see that I asked it because I was very curious but not jealous at all. "So you betrayed the Storm Hawks. Why would you stay with Cyclonis? I mean, she's evil, there's no question about that. She orders everyone around, including you, and she treats you all like dirt. Why are you so loyal?"

"When I came to the Cyclonia palace, Master Cyclonis—the current one's mother—took me in with open arms. She didn't question me, she didn't pressure me. She gave me a room, clean clothes, food, and a skimmer, and told me whenever I was ready to talk she wanted to hear. So I told her everything.

"She was impressed by my loyalty and tenacity. She said there had never been a better Cyclonian citizen than me, because I had never experienced all the glories of the empire but I had still been ready to lay down my life for it. She asked if I wanted to be a Talon, and I agreed. She said as soon as I was sixteen, and legally old enough to be one, she would promote me to be her commander. I was flattered. She said until then, I could take up regular duties, but she had another request. Would I also be her daughter's bodyguard and mentor?

"Well, I met her four-year-old daughter, Lark, and she was the cutest thing. She loved crystals, and she was always so bright and cheerful. We became the best of friends. Master Cyclonis told me that her father had been killed protecting Cyclonian citizens, and that she had never seen her daughter so happy. I was like the father figure that the poor girl lacked.

"When Lark was twelve, her mother also died, and she became Queen of Cyclonia. I felt like the cheerful, kind girl that I knew died along with her mother. When she took the throne, she became hard and cold.

"I can't just leave her, though. She lost her father, she lost her mother. I'm the closest thing to a parental figure that she has. I swore to her mother that I would protect her, and I will. I guess I hope that one day, my 'good influence' will bring back the little girl that I loved."

My eyes narrowed. "So you loved her? Isn't she a bit young for you?" I had meant it in a joking way, but it came out as more of a snarl.

He took one look at the expression on my face, then started laughing. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Why would I be jealous?" I pouted, but my cheeks tinged red.

"Star-girl, have you been listening to anything I've been saying? I don't like her that way at all. I feel like her dad, or at least an older brother. That would be weird and perverted to think of her like…that."

I sighed. "Okay. That's good. Not that I care or anything, but it would have been really disturbing if you were interested in her or anything. It's none of my business, really, and I don't care at all." He smirked again, and I realized I was just digging myself in deeper.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. There was nothing really to say. I mean, we were enemies, and we were sitting together in the most dangerous place on the Atmos. There's not that much room for small talk in a situation like that. Plus, after all the things he told me, I would feel really weird trying to say something less serious.

A geyser of lava exploded, sending magma-covered rocks flying in all directions. One was heading straight our way.

"Get down!" I screamed. He glanced up, but there just wasn't enough time. I hurtled myself forward, tackling him and pushing him backwards onto the ground.

A red-hot rock flew above my head, moving my hair with its wind, and smashing behind me. The ground shook, and the various volcanic outcropping continued to belch out magma-rocks. Luckily, no more flew near us.

The earth shook, and more projectiles streamed around. Magma erupted off of various miniature hills. It felt like the apocalypse. Was this how I was going to die? In the Wastelands, lying on my arch-enemy's chest, trying desperately not to scream like a little kid?

Finally, ten heart-wrenching minutes later, the ground stopped shaking. I guess the world wasn't ending after all.

"Are you going to let me up?"

I blushed, realizing that I was still lying on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Actually, due to our consequent body masses, there was no doubt he could have easily picked me up or pushed me off. He was asking out of kindness.

The Dark Ace was kind. The Dark Ace was caring. I knew that now. I mean, why else would he stay with that bi—I mean, witch?

"I'm fine staying here, too. If you don't feel uncomfortable."

Why would I feel uncomfortable? He was the one with the hard, rocky ground digging into his back. I actually had it pretty good. He felt nice to lie on.

Then I sort of realized our position, and exactly how close we were to each other. Oh, yeah. Um, well I was a now bit uncomfortable.

I was going to get up immediately, but for some reason, I couldn't force my arms to push myself off. He was really comfortable, in that awkward, uncomfortable sort of way. He was looking up at me with those endless crimson eyes, and I felt lost in their depths. Why was I still on him? Why wasn't I getting up?

My body went all hot, then it rebelled against me. I felt the same raging desire that I had felt the first time we had really fought one-on-one in Cyclonia, but this was different, stronger. I knew he wasn't all as evil as he was made out to be, and that only made it worse. Without guilt to hold me back, there was nothing to stop me from—

I shoved my lips onto his, clumsy, uncertain, and desperate. His eyes widened a fraction in surprise as he realized what I was doing, then he returned the kiss, making me want to melt into him in pure bliss. I pushed myself up, gasping for air, dizzy, and he pulled me right back down onto those addicting, mind-boggling lips. My brain, full of doubts and reservations, shut down, and I began to act on instinct, returning the kiss passionately.

What. The. Hell. Was. I. Doing!?!

My mind came back full-force, and I pushed myself up, breaking our spontaneous kiss and stumbling to my feet. I looked at him with a mixture of anger and trepidation. On the one hand, I was completely and utterly furious at him for kissing me. On the other hand, I was very, very scared of his power over me, of the effect that he had on me. Then there was the part of me that desperately wanted another kiss.

"What in the world was that for!?!" I sputtered.

The Dark Ace grinned lazily. "In case you didn't notice, you were the one who started kissing me first."

Damm. He was right. I hated it when that happened.

"I did enjoy it, though. You know, you should do that more often."

Okay, now he was teasing me, and that was just not going to cut it. I had enough on my plate already without having to worry about his sarcastic comments. I stalked forward, eyes blazing, hand raised to slap him. However, when I went to bring it down, he moved faster, snatching it out of the air with his warm, rough hand.

With his other arm, he reached around to my the small of my back and pushed me forward. I stood paralyzed under his gentle touch as he came closer and closer…

Our third kiss was a lot more gentle that our first two. At first our lips lightly brushed, then the kiss deepened, sending flutters to my stomach so powerful they were nearly painful. All my anger at him completely disappeared; the world could have ended for all I cared.

The only thing I noticed was his two amazing soft lips on mine.

Finally, far too soon in my eyes, he stepped back, and let go of my hand. "Now, if you're still hell-bent on slapping me, I won't try to stop you," he said quietly. I looked in confusion at my still-raised arm, then back at him.

Then I did the worst thing that I could have done: I started crying.

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Wow. That was a really fun chapter to write!

A note on ages/chronological order of events: Dark Ace betrayed the Storm Hawks when he was thirteen, ten years later is present day. Five years after he turned Cyclonian, 16-year-old Starling and her squadron were ambushed by Repton and they were killed. Present day Cyclonis is 14, Starling is 21, and Dark Ace is 23. The Storm Hawks are their usual age (14).

Review please!


	23. Wastelands, Part 4

Author's Note: I just sort of realized when looking at the Chapter Titles that the last three chapter haven't had very imaginative titles. I mean, seriously, as long as they are in the Wastelands, it's going to be "Wastelands, Part [insert number here]." I personally don't really mind, as I don't think it's going to grow into some huge number like 15 or 20, but then again, I'm not sure where this is going. So if it gets to around 7 or 8 and you get tired of it, well, I'm apologizing in advance!

Review Corner!

Miasinpie: Thanks again!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks! Yeah, I just love fluff, even though this isn't supposed to be a fluffy story. It does get a bit darker again this chapter (sorry) As for why, I don't want to spoil anything!

Helliexx: Yeah, they're so funny together!

Pascy: Not heaps of time…well, it was the weekend, so I had a bit extra because there was no school. I'm glad you thought it was cute! As for the romance, yes it's started, but don't be all ready for a happy ending quite yet…

I can't bother logging in: Hey, it's cool! You're welcome! Yeah, you caught my drift exactly with what's going on in Starling's head. I mean, really, the emotional pain of falling for you arch enemy…heheh, I'm just an evil author. I'm glad it made you happy-your reviews always make me so happy, so it's nice to return the favor!

Djap: This chapter is sort of for you…you got me thinking about a lot of the ideas behind this chapter. I hope it lives up to the deep philosophical ponderings that were going through my head about good, evil, and love.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks.

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I cried. I broke down, trembling, tears pouring down from my eyes and my petite frame wracked with sobs. He moved closer, as if to comfort me, but I raised an hand, shouting, "No! Stay away from me! I hate you!"

Slowly, carefully, like he was dealing with some spooked animal, he approached me. "Get away from me!" I screeched. He immediately froze. "Just stay away from me," I repeated.

He already made everything too complicated.

I had kissed him, and he had kissed me back, and I was falling for him. No, I had fallen for him. Past tense. It had already happened, I had just been in too much denial to notice.

It didn't change anything. I still believed in freedom, and he was still trying to enslave all of the Atmos. Despite my personal feelings, I couldn't just forget everything he did—and still was doing—to innocent people. It stood against my morals. I was protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, and I was protecting them from him.

At the same time, I was fighting for love. I was fighting for justice. I was fighting for what was right. How could I fight him if I knew we Atmosians had done things to him that weren't right? We had made this nightmare that haunted us now, and in a way, he too was fighting for justice.

How could I fight for the innocents that I cared for against someone else I also …had feelings for?

He made everything too complicated, and I knew if he got too near me he would cloud my judgment again. Although, he clouded my judgment even when he wasn't near; it was like he haunted me, I couldn't get him out of my mind. I hated him, but I couldn't hate him, and he just—

He kept coming closer, going too slowly for me to notice in my distracted state, until his arms were around me. I panicked, struggling, trying to push him away.

"Shh, it's okay," he soothed. It took me about a second to figure out that there was no way I was going to get away from his strong arms, so I surrendered. I snuggled in closer to his neck and shoulders, letting my tears roll down. I felt his arms tighten around me.

It was a good feeling, being protected, being cared for. He was patting my back, rubbing little circles into my shoulders. He was hugging me tightly, not too much as to squish me, but enough that I could barely move. There wasn't any chance of getting away.

When I looked up into his eyes, I saw something that sent a shiver down my spine. He was looking at me with concern, yes, and protectiveness. That soothed me.

There was also possessiveness and jealousy in his gaze. The tightness of his grip around also had a double meaning. Yes, he was protective, but he also looked at me like I was already his. He was holding on tightly because he couldn't let me escape.

And I wasn't doing anything to stop him.

He had a dark side to him, a very dark side, and I could never let myself forget that.

Just how deep was I getting myself into this? There was only so much longer that I could pretend not to notice, then I was going to have to make a choice. One day, pretty soon, I would be issued an ultimatum.

Join Cyclonia or die.

Kill the Cyclonian or be disgraced and banished.

It all just depended on which side found us first.

My personal preference? I didn't really care. I mean, the 'die' was the easiest way out, but I had already tried several times, and it didn't work out too well. I wouldn't mind disgrace or banishment either, only I was the only Sky Knight of my Terra left. Without any Interceptor protecting them, my people were vulnerable. Also, I refused completely to bring any shame onto the name of the Interceptors, onto my brave friends. That option was out.

Kill Dark Ace? I already had ample opportunity, and I think I can safely say that I just can't do it. I'd rather kill myself. Even worse would be the celebrations afterwards. The thought that they would call me a hero for murder left a bitter taste in my mouth. I guess I could defeat him, kill him, then kill myself and make it look like I died in battle. We'd be some bloody, gruesome Romeo and Juliet. I wonder if people would make a _story_ about us.

That left one more option, join Cyclonia, which was out before I even began to think about it. No way was I throwing away all my morals, all I cared about, and everything I stood for just for my own selfish wants.

It was all because of him. If he wasn't so…confusing, then I'd be able to make the right choice, the Sky Knight choice.

I didn't even know if he really cared about me, or if this was just another power game for him. Was I just some toy, some prize to be won but discarded as soon as he got bored of me?

Another shiver ran down my spine.

"Starling, you're okay," he continued. "Look at me! You're okay."

"I'm not okay!"

Lies. Those were lies. It was _not_ going to be okay. It had stopped being okay the moment I had stopped hating him and started falling for him. No, it had stopped being okay the first day I had been captured. Actually, to be truthful, it had stopped being okay for me since the day I was born. My life was just one misery after another.

Was I so used to the misery that I was denying myself happiness when it came my way?

Was I so naïve to believe that there was going to be a fairytale happy ending for me if I just gave in to these stupid, selfish desires?

I was being torn apart inside. I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what the right thing was to do. I didn't know how far I would go to stay true to myself, or to stay true to him.

The only thing I knew was that everything wasn't _okay_.

The ground disappeared and I felt extremely dizzy. What was going on? I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulders. Tears still leaked from my eyes, but I was a bit more under control now.

Five minutes later, when I finally gathered the courage to peek my eyes open, I realized exactly why I had felt so dizzy. He was carrying me. I was instantly struck by a pang of nausea and panic.

I hated being carried. First of all, it made me feel weak. I was a Sky Knight. I was a warrior. I could walk by myself, thank you very much. I did not like the feeling of being unable to control where I was going, or if I fell or not.

Then there was the falling part, as in you have to trust the other person completely to be strong enough and not to drop you. And this was the _Dark Ace_ who was carrying me. You see where I might have some trust issues here?

The problem was, carrying me wasn't the only place I would have to trust him, especially if I decided to become more involved with him. As in emotionally involved, despite how my instincts screamed against it and my heart screamed for it.

I would have to trust him, and trust him completely. Even though I knew that he wasn't completely evil, that he still had shreds of decency in him, it didn't change a thing. He was still bad. He was nasty, he lied, he manipulated—he had a definite darkness in him. As alluring as that darkness could be, I was afraid of losing myself in it.

Could I care for him and still be the person who I truly was? Could I care for him and not lose my values, my morals? Or would he change me so completely that I would lose my identity just to stay with him?

Did I love him enough to make a sacrifice like that?

Was I too far in already to stop myself?

I decided to deal with the easier problem first: being carried. I tried to sit up, which is sort of a bad idea when someone is carrying you. All I managed to do was disrupt my own balance more. "Where are you taking me?" I sputtered.

"Relax," he said soothingly. His breath was warm against my neck and cheek. Instantly, I felt some of the panic inside of me disappear. No! I couldn't become careless, not here, not now! I struggled again, determined to not let him have any sort of affect on my judgment.

"I'm serious, Starling," he chuckled. "It's a whole lot harder to carry you when you wiggle around like this."

I debated between which was worse—being carried by him or being dropped by him. I decided I didn't like the 'dropped' option, considering we were in the Wastelands and knowing my luck, there would be a puddle of magma under us just when he would let go of me. I decided to tactically surrender, and stop moving for the moment. Verbally, however, I wouldn't back down. "Where are you taking me?"

He sighed, his warm breath tickling my hair. "You just don't give up, do you, Starling? I'm carrying us towards the nearest Terra base so we can actually rest without worrying about the world exploding around us. You can sleep now, however. You're safe with me." I snorted.

"One more question—"

"Isn't there always, Star-girl?" I glared at him as best I could, craning my neck to face him. I think he got the picture, as his lips curled up in a smile. "Continue," he urged.

"If you could manage to carry all the stuff and me, why have I been walking the first whole day?"

His eyes flashed and his chest trembled, and at first I thought he was angry, then I realized he was laughing. I smiled, then began to giggle a bit, too. It was more a release of tension than anything else, but it still felt good, to be chuckling along with him. If felt good and yet guilty at the same time.

I closed my eyes and tried to rest, but the thoughts were just spiraling in my head, around and around, giving me no rest.

I was in too deep already. It was too late to get out of this whole, stupid, complicated thing. Shouldn't I stop second-guessing myself?

I was in too deep already. It was too late to get out of this whole, stupid, complicated thing. Even if I felt…attracted…to him, there was no guarantee he felt the same way back. There was no guarantee that this was anything more than another game to him. Shouldn't I stop deluding myself?

The truth is, no matter how I looked at it, the situation was the same. The only question was, am I an optimist or a pessimist?

Seeing how the latter statement kept repeating itself in my head, I'm going to have to go with 'pessimist.'

What did I ever do to deserve this? Was there a higher power watching out for me?

How could there be, when there was so much death, pain, and suffering in this world? How could there be, when my parents, my squadron, everyone I cared for had been ripped from me?

Suddenly, I was filled with an irrational anger at the whole stupid world. Fate. Was it fate for everyone I had ever cared for to die? Was Dark Ace going to die, too, just because I liked him? Would I die before I ever knew true love and happiness. Not to be morbid or anything but just wondering…

_You cannot be mad at the past, Starling. You must only strive to create a better future._

I was too tired and to upset to recognize the voice that spoke to me. By now, I was used to these hallucinations in times of great stress and tension. However, I did notice that it was kind, caring, and filled with love.

Treasuring that warm feeling of being loved, like the last scrap of good and light in this world of darkness I live in, I fell asleep, right there in Ace's arms.

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That chapter was sort of angst-y, but I like the way it came out. Sorry if it took a little while to update. You want quicker updates? There are two things you can do—review, then if I'm taking a long time, PM me. I don't mind requests at all, sometimes I just need a little reminder.

Thanks for reading!


	24. Freedom and Escape

Author's Note: I really want to thank my friend Miasinpie for the inspiration for this chapter. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn't quite sure how I would do it, so I posed her the question: 'What would you do if you were Starling?' Of course, the first thing that came to her mind was worry that I had writer's block. I assured her that I didn't, I just loved hearing other ideas and I had a suspicion that her reaction might be cool. And, of course, Mi being Mi, it was. So, Mi, you're awesome!

I'm so, so sorry that this took so long. I didn't mean for it to drag on and on, and I know that all of you have probably been waiting not-so-patiently for the next update, and I wasn't trying purposefully to be an evil author. Schoolwork piled up, and suddenly, each night, it was the choice between doing my homework and writing Fanfiction. Much to my mother's pleasure, doing my homework won.

This leaves me in a bit of a dilemma, because the schoolwork isn't going to magically disappear. Actually, there's just going to be more and more and more of it. So here's the deal: I'll try to update every weekend, but no guarantees. I probably won't get the chance to write more than a chapter a week, and some weeks not even that. However, during my free time/Thanksgiving Break/weekends, I'll have more time, and therefore write and update more. I promise you won't have to worry about me discontinuing any stories, or disappearing from for forevermore, but there may be long pauses between updates.

Phew. Glad we got that straightened out, eh? (I've been practicing my Blizzarian accent)

To the people who care enough to review, I can't thank you enough. I can't bother logging in, again, so sorry! Dancing-with-the-devil 1995, thank you again so much and I would have no idea; I can't spell! Miasinpie—you know. Same as always. Extra thanks! Rita: Thanks, and I'm glad you liked it! Pascy: I don't mind at all, thanks for reviewing in the first place. I'm so glad you liked it! Smilyfacer: I'm so glad you like it, and I'm sorry if this took a little while!

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The next thing I knew, I felt warm, safe, slightly tired, and extremely comfortable. I didn't even want to open my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the heat, or more, the lack of it. My body was warm, but the chill air nipped my nose and cheeks.

It was cold! That meant…we had made it out of the Wastelands, and while I was sleeping to boot!

I took a deep breath, and almost began coughing violently. The cold air pierced my lungs, irritating the tender tissue that had been tortured by the Wasteland's ash for far too long. I shivered involuntarily, then gulped another lungful of air, slightly smaller. This time, I did cough, a deep, wracking sound. Still, I felt a bit better afterwards, like my lungs were cleaner already.

I rolled over, and instantly, some of the warmth was gone. Turning my head, I glanced at my heat source. My heart nearly stopped.

The Dark Ace. He had been sleeping next to me the entire time.

I felt my face flushing. Yes, Terra Gale in the winter was cold, but that was no excuse for him to…to…to save us both from hypothermia.

Okay, maybe I was overreacting a bit. The only blanket we had was the thin, tattered bedroll, and as I was discovering already, it was not sufficient. Still, I hated the idea that he had decided to use me as a heater when I was unconscious. I had no control over the situation, and I loathed it.

I had to get away from here. I needed a bit of space to think. The air was already getting warmer, so I shrugged off the blanket and walked outside.

We had been in a little cave, which explained the coolness. Out here, the sun was shining, and the air was the perfect warmth. The sky was a beautiful clear blue, the likes of which I hadn't seen in so long, and I could see the mainland Terra Gale off in the distance.

I felt like running around and singing, like gathering flowers and throwing them up in the air. It was so beautiful here, and I felt carefree again. I felt happier than I had since this whole Cyclonian fiasco had started.

I felt truly free, like I wasn't being manipulated, or had to make some difficult choice that was going to come back and haunt me no matter what I chose. I felt free, like I didn't have to fight every second just to know I wasn't going to be stabbed in my sleep or something. I felt free, like I had the right to breathe the fresh, clean air, and dance around with my arms up in the air.

Then, of course, reality came crashing back down on my head. There was no way that the Dark Ace was going to let me go free. I should probably be enjoying the blue sky while I could, because the air over Cyclonia was red, red, and more red.

It would be simple if I could just hate the Dark Ace for taking away this beautiful freedom, and leave it at that, but there was more to it.

A part of me wanted to stop fighting. A part of me wanted to go back with him.

NO! It wasn't a choice, but even admitting it to myself sounded to me like the first step of making the conscious decision to betray all that I loved.

Was this how _he_ felt, when he was pondering how to betray the Storm Hawks?

NO! I would not compare myself to him, not when all this was his fault. But I couldn't just lay the guilt on him. It was my fault too.

My fault…for wanting him.

Gah! This was all too much for me, just going around in my head. I wanted to scream! I needed to get it out!

There was a tree. Nice tree. I could talk to a tree. A tree wouldn't judge me.

Okay, stupid idea, to blurt all my problems and innermost secret thoughts out to a _tree_, but really, it made no sense all in my head. Maybe if I vocalized them, they would make more sense. Probably not, but a rant would at least help me _feel_ better. I wanted to get it all out of my system.

"Hi, tree," I said. "Okay, now I feel really stupid. Finn did this too, right? He started talking to a spoon or something after getting Gorge Madness? Okay, now I just feel really, really stupid."

I took a deep breath. Why was I suddenly so nervous? "I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" I blurted out. "I don't know what's real or a lie, and somehow, I feel any decision I make is going to be wrong. I can't just leave the Dark Ace, but I can't just go to Cyclonia. I don't know what to do. I want to hate him, but I just can't. He's evil, but in some twisted way, I feel like it's my fault. Like it's all of Atmos's fault. Then I admire him on some level. He's strong, he's fast, he's smart, he's the best pilot and fighter on the Atmos, besides maybe Aerrow. He's loyal, too, just to the wrong side. Or am I on the wrong side? Things aren't black and white anymore, and I don't know what to do!"

I buried my head in my hands and began so sob. So much for enjoying the rest of my very limited freedom.

"Do continue."

Oh,—[_The next 58 words are censored because they contain obscenities so vulgar than in all probability your ears will start to bleed, and for the additional reason that the author (or authoress, if you want to be picky) isn't in the mood to write out "beep" 58 times. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it's for your own good._]

Finally, I took back control over my mind enough to regain articulate thought. "What the hell are you doing behind me?" I hissed. "And how long have you been standing there?"

Ace grinned sheepishly, and my heart melted. However, I had enough control over my facial muscles to look like I was still furious at him. "I watched you dancing for a while. Then, when you started talking to the tree, I wasn't sure if you had some hidden communication device or radio, so I had to listen in. I guess you could say I heard it all."

I closed my eyes, then turned to face him. I was determined to behave like an adult, not some insane teenager who deserved no respect. As difficult as it was to remain calm, I decided it was my best bet to getting out of this…whole. As in one person, not just an emotional wreck. (Who am I kidding? I'm already an emotional wreck. Fine, 'an emotional wreck incapable of functioning,' to be exact.) "Okay, so you heard what I had to say. It's not exactly the way I would have wanted you to find out, but I can't undo the past. It was stupid of me to be talking to a tree in the first place. However, since you know how I feel, do you think it's possible to tell me how you feel? Even out the footing a little bit?"

He smirked. "What happens if I say no?"

"Nothing happens. I can't force you."

His grin widened. "How do you know I'm not just going to lie to you?"

"I don't."

There was silence for a few seconds. I scanned his face, searching for any sign of emotion or hint of what he was going to do next. There was none. Then, finally, he spoke. "I'm impressed, by how well composed you were and how you didn't try to deny anything. So I guess I'll tell you how I feel. Again, whether or not you want to believe me is your choice, but I think you've proved that you'll at least listen."

"I'm frustrated with you, Starling. Truth be told, you're a warrior. You're a fighter. You're a smart, independent young woman. Sitting around not knowing what to do doesn't suit you at all. Make one decision, and stick with it, then deal with the consequences. Otherwise, you're just going to deal with all the consequences of making to wrong decisions."

"The world isn't black and white. You can't try to see it that way. That's just for the naïve. Choose what will make you happy, in the long run. Don't make a choice based on what some old council will say about you. If you want to be a Sky Knight, do it for your people, not for some old men. Nor for some memory."

"You need to deal with the ghosts of your past and live in the present. And you need to live your life to the fullest, not just survive."

"As for what I feel about you—I like you, a lot. There's the plus side that Cyclonis ordered me to…how shall we put this, win over your loyalties in any way possible, so if we were to get into a…relationship, it would be legal on Cyclonia. There's also the fact that you never let anyone intimidate you or boss you around. I like that. I like that you'll always be you, and never chance. Because, seriously, there are enough girls without backbones out there that throw themselves onto guys just because they need some attention."

"Cyclonia is all about manipulation, and power games. That's what you've started out to me: a power game. But now I've got too much invested in you to back down.

You know what I want? I want you to come back to Cyclonia with me, so we can be together, where we belong…"

He trailed off, and I noticed that he was a lot closer to me than he had been when this conversation started. I blushed, glancing down, and he used a single finger to force me to face him again. He was gentle, but it still sent shivers down my spine. Then he kissed me, and all conscious though dissipated.

However, like my conflicted emotions, the kiss was rather bipolar. On the one end, I desperately wanted to kiss him back, while on the other, I wanted to push him away. I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't know what to do.

Finally, he pulled back, much to my relief. Anger, impatience, and frustration reflected out of his eyes. "You see what I mean, Starling?" he said playfully, but I could hear the dark undertones in his voice. "You need to make a choice. Being wishy-washy doesn't suit you at all. And if you're not going to chose…"

He leaned forward, sweeping me off my feet so I was lying flat on my back on the ground, then sitting on top of me, pinning me with his body mass.

"I'm going to chose for you."

He pinned my arms down with his strong, calloused grip. My mind was completely blank. I wanted to fight. I wanted to flee. I didn't know what to do.

"It's better this way, Starling. You want this, too. You know you want it. And, you see, this way, we both get what we want, and you don't have to feel guilty about it."

My breathing hitched. There was no doubt in my mind what he was planning to do.

He came even closer to me, and I knew in an instant that if he started kissing me, it would all be over. My resolve would melt and I would be completely at his mercy.

"No!" I blurted out.

He paused, leaving our faces uncomfortably close together. "Why, might I ask? Really, Starling, this is the easiest solution…"

"But it would be losing. You would be losing."

His eyes widened a fraction. Obviously, it was not the response he was expecting. He sat up, giving me room to catch my breath as he readied himself to listen. "Elaborate."

"You said that Cyclonians…like…power games. Well, if you do this now, against my will, I'll never forgive you. You'll never know if I ever cared for you or not. You will have destroyed the little trust I have for you. But if you wait, and back off now, and I do get…involved with you, of my own free will, then it's a definite decision, and one that I can't just go back on. You'll know that I'll truly be yours. And that's the only way you'll ever really win."

I was practically hyperventilating. It was the most absurd logic I had ever heard of, but maybe, just maybe, he would swallow it.

For a second, he stood still, then, to my great surprise, he backed off. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was backing off!

He stood up, then held out a hand. Reluctantly, I took it. He pulled me up to my feet, perhaps a bit too hard, because I lost my balance and tipped forward, leaning on his chest for support. His crimson eyes sparkled mischievously.

"However, I do hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me if I steal a kiss right now."

He leaned forward, and this time, I didn't back away. I didn't trust him one bit, but right now, the thing I wanted most in the word was a kiss. My misgivings could wait.

I kissed him. As guilty as I knew I would feel later, I loved the sensation now. It would be more than worth it. His lips were so soft, my knees just turned into Jell-O, and I had to lean in closer to him…

To my surprise, he was the one who pulled back. "Now, go, Starling." I stared at him with uncomprehending eyes. "You obviously can't come back to Cyclonia with me, because you're not joining us and I can't bear to see you rotting away in some dungeon. So go, escape."

What the bloody hell?

"Run, damm it!"

I ran.

He was letting me go? Why? Did he actually care for me? What was going on?

I kept running.

The terrain was becoming familiar. It was the terra where the Rebel Ducks' secret base was held.

Suddenly, everything made a whole lot of sense. He had always had a radio with him, all throughout the Wastelands. It had been pretty easy to tell which Terra's base we were heading for. He could have called some Talons to fly him up (there was no way he could have climbed a cliff carrying me and all his equipment). He didn't even need me to find their base. He already knew the Terra.

Carting a prisoner through battle would be a huge hindrance. So much easier to let me think I was free, when in reality, I couldn't go anywhere, not really. I was stuck on this Terra. It would be easy enough to hunt me down after the battle was done.

I pumped my legs harder, driving myself forward at a breakneck pace. Maybe I had lead the Cyclonians here, but at least I could warn my friends of the oncoming attack…

That is, if they'd listen to me after they realized what I'd done. What I'd become. _Who_'d I'd become attached to.

* * *

Of course, you know I'm going to ask you to review, like always, but this time I have a few question that you can (if you want to) choose to respond to in the reviews.

What would you do if you were Starling?

Just think about it….


	25. Understanding

Author's Note: Hey! This one didn't take me forever and a year! Well, I'm going to do the disclaimer first, change things up a bit—guess whom I don't own? The Storm Hawks! Give the person a million dollars who said that—or wait, don't. I don't own them, _I won't make any money with them_ (so sorry, your $1,000,000 will have to wait).

REVIEW CORNER! Because Reviews Make Me Happy!

I can't bother logging in: I just went to your deviant art account (my name is the same as on —Smartkitty314) and I am so impressed by your artistic and literary talents! Don't worry about bugging me to update, I could use some reminder! ;-) As for homework, hopefully, Christmas Break will come super soon then I will have time to write my heart out!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thanks so much! As for your opinion, that's probably what I'd do, too…

Smileyfacer: Thank you so much! You bring up interesting points, I agree with you completely, especially about the friends part. However, all her friends are basically dead…I'm just saying, she finds comfort in unorthodox places (Dark-Ace*cough*cough*)

SunflowerIce: Thank you so much! ;-)

Rita: Thanks! Sorry it took so long!

Pascy: Well, I think your Starling opinion is probably one of the wisest I've heard. However, I'm not sure how likely that is to happen (seriously, this is a S/DA romance story, if she walked away from his it would kill the romance.) As for this chapter…you'll see! As for Twilight, that's cool. I've read the story, and seriously, I think most of the stories on have superior writing to the series (Mary-Su, anyone? Besides the fact that I hate Bella's guts—she is such a brat), but it was the first romance book I've ever read, so it is near and dear to me. Actually, I tried writing the book as sort of a Storm Hawks crossover, with Cyclonis instead of Bella…its called "Twilight" (duh) if you want to check it out, under the Storm Hawks category. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for reviewing!

Helliexx: Thanks so much! I promise I will!

CryingSilverFox: I am so touched by your words. You have no idea how much your review means to me. Thank you so much. You have totally made my day!

* * *

I burst into the small, makeshift hut that Dove and her grandfather lived in. It also happened to be the headquarters of the Rebel Ducks' operations. However, the people in the room were quite a surprise to me. I stared, gaping, at the occupants, who had similar expressions of disbelief at my own sudden appearance.

Besides the Rebel Ducks, Aerrow, Piper, Junko, Finn, Stork, and Radarr sat in the squished living room, discussing the coming battle.

I felt my cheeks flush at the critical gazes of all the Sky Knights and squad members. I remembered that Piper considered me to be some kind of role model. Well, I bet I look like one hell of a hero now. I was still wearing my torn, bloodied, dirty, grimy Talon uniform. I was in a huge state of disarray, my face covered in dirt, my hair all messed up…I didn't want to know _what_ they were all thinking about me.

Aerrow broke the awkward silence. "Well, that's one more item we can cross off our agenda."

I stared, confused. Not exactly the response I expected, especially given the expressions on their faces. "I was on your agenda?"

Piper nodded quickly. "We were worried, the Sky Knight Council reported that you had disappeared for nearly three weeks, and there were rumors going around that you had been captured by Cyclonia. Since you don't have your own squadron"—I felt a sharp pain in my chest at those words—"we thought we'd come and rescue you. We were just discussing how we might conduct recon around Cyclonia to save you and all, but you've escaped! One less thing we have to worry about!"

That was a relief, not having to worry about explaining the uniform. I relaxed a bit, then perked up again, remembering my errand of doom. Cyclonians were coming! I had to warn them! "Dove, Cyclonians know about this location! They're coming with a battleship and—"

Finn cut me off this time. "Old news, dude. The Cyclonians discovered this location last week, after a Talon tracked them back here following one of their raids. They decided to stay on this Terra because it's defensible and they're already all set up here. The big impending battle? There's always some big impending battle. Why do you think the Storm Hawks are here?"

I sighed in relief. I didn't need to worry about fighting a losing battle. This time, my friends actually had a good chance to protect themselves. "Anyone have some extra armor and a Skimmer? 'Cause I'm ready to fight!" Actually, I was far from ready to fight, but I had a reputation to uphold. After all, I was a Sky Knight—I was _paid_ to fight the Cyclonians.

Storm Hawks and Rebel Ducks alike gave me identical expressions of pity. Dove spoke. "Starling, you are worn out. Perhaps you would be a liability in battle in the state you are in. Go home, and relax for a few days before returning to your Sky Knight duties."

I stared around, shocked. They didn't want me? Piper piped up. "Plus, you have all this important information that you've collected from the Cyclonians, right? So you have to stay safe, so that Atmos gains important intel! You can't battle, in case one of the Talons takes you down or something."

"Okay, fine, fine." I was a bit disappointed about their rejection, but really, it was more of a relief. I wasn't sure what I would do if I had to face the Dark Ace. "But strategically speaking, now would not be the best time to jet out of here. The Cyclonians are probably monitoring the skies. Actually, the best time to sneak away would probably be right when the battle starts, so if you don't mind, may I stay and help you set up?"

"I am bringing in ze shipment of boulders for ze catapults from the barn to the loading area. Anyone want to help me?" Dove's heavily accented voice rang across the now-silent room. I realized I had just volunteered myself for some heavy lifting.

Dove and I made our way outside, skirting the edges of the buildings as to not be seen from above. It was rather ridiculous, as if there were Cyclonians in the sky they would be shot down by Wren and his new Windstone (which I bought him—hey, I have the duties of a full squadron, so they pay me like a full squadron, and I have nothing to do with the extra dough. It's called _charity_). I glanced around, and no one was listening in, so I could speak freely.

"Did you ever get over it?" I blurted out. She stared at me blankly. "After the Cyclonians took you. And you spent over two weeks in their dungeons. Did the scars ever fade?"

Suddenly, she was hugging me, even though I am several years her elder. "Oh, you poor darling," she cooed. "Don't worry, you're not alone. I know what it feels like."

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled, trying not to look suspicious. "The Dark Ace grabbed you too, didn't he?"

"And they just threw me into a cell—more like a pit—and left me there to rot! If I hadn't climbed out, I probably would have starved! And the factory, the labor—horrible! I still have scars from the whippings. And you couldn't sleep at night for all the screams all around you." She took a deep breath, staring at me with her calm grey eyes. "But don't worry, Starling, it all becomes a nightmarish blur. You start to forget."

That's where I started to disagree. I have a little problem with forgetting—it just never worked so well for me. They told me that I would move on after my squadron…well, you know; they told me that the wounds would fade in time. The pain never did.

"And Ze Dark Ace!" Her action always gets stronger when she's angry. "Zat pompous, egomaniacal bastard! He is such a jerk! I hate him with all my soul, and I would kill him! He does not have a single good bone in his body!"

Dove was what—sixteen? Seventeen? I was twenty-one. A mere five years separated us, but I had never felt more like an adult, and I had never looked at her as such a child.

She didn't understand. She didn't go through what I went through. A part of me envied the way she could just hate him, but another side knew that I could never do that. Not now, not when I knew so much about him, not when I felt _sorry_ for him, not when I wanted to comfort him, wrap my arms around him, pull his warm body close to me and—

Not going to finish that train of thought.

I nodded, pretending to completely agree with everything she was saying, then moved to continue rolling the boulders. We worked in silence, and were done rather quickly.

I desperately needed someone to talk to, though. Not Wren—dear lord, not Wren—he barely trusted me as it was for being so young when I became a Sky Knight. There was no way that he would ever forgive me if he knew that I had been…seduced by the enemy. Actually, no Atmosian would understand my quandary.

It was just like saving the Raptor Scientists—no one wanted to help me, because no one understood. No one but the Storm Hawks.

Junko and Finn I couldn't talk to because they were too naïve and immature, respectively. Stork was so paranoid he would probably eject me off the ship for fear of being Cyclonian and going all evil on him. Piper—I was her idol. I was less of a person and more of a legend to her, and I felt weird every time I was around her.

Which left Aerrow. He was little more than a boy, but I looked at him like a brother. He understood me, he trusted me, and he encountered the Dark Ace more times than anyone else in the Atmos.

With the goal of speaking to Aerrow in mind, I rolling the last boulder. Dove grinned, then said, "Battle seems like it'll start soon. I'm going to go ready the spare skimmer—it's Cyclonian, a Talon crash landed." She blushed a bit, embarrassed slightly by the overall poor state of their equipment. "Everything was intact, so we decided to fix it up, we don't have many spares, but you've helped us so much, so it's the least we can do."

With my extra-money-that-I-didn't-want, I had bought the Rebel Ducks all new skimmers. I had never guessed that they would be returning the favor.

I nodded my thanks. "Well, I'm just going to say my goodbyes, meet you out in the barn?"

She nodded. "Oui."

Inside, I saw Aerrow and Piper sitting on the couch together talking, but I thought little of it. "Hey, Aerrow, can I talk to you? In private?"

He whispered something into Piper's ear, and she giggled, then he got up. Her hand lingered on his, though, holding on until it was impossible then dropping back to her side.

"Walk with me." I tried not to make my voice stiff. None of my business if he and Piper were together. I had never looked at him romantically in any way (age difference—let me assure you, I'm _not_ a cougar or anything), plus, it would have been weird, I had known his father, and Lightening Strike was maybe seven, eight, nine years older than me. That would have been strange.

No, Aerrow was strictly like a younger brother to me, and what I felt was mostly surprise. I had always thought of him as a little kid, but if he was dating, it was a sign that he was growing up. I wasn't sure if I liked that or not.

"Starling, what can I help you with? You still need a home? We kept your room empty—" I quickly shook my head, cutting him off.

"It's about the Dark Ace."

It was funny how much his expression changed with that one simple statement. His face, which had been open, cheerful, and optimistic, suddenly hardened into a more serious appearance. It was like he aged several years in front of my eyes.

Aerrow had way too many burdens on him already. As Dark Ace was Cyclonia's champion, he was the champion of the Atmos. Did I really want to add another weight for him to carry around on his shoulder?

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't tell him. I wasn't sure if it was because I was trying to look out for him, or if I was just a big coward.

Aerrow stared at me, and I realized he was waiting for me to say something. "Take him down for me," I growled, trying to hide the quaver in my voice with as much ferocity and anger as I could muster. Actually, my voice shook towards the end, but it made it sound more real. He nodded gravely, then I turned.

"See you around, Aerrow," I said softly, then I turned to the barn. Dove showed me the skimmer, then left. I was alone.

Aerrow, Piper, Dove—they were all just kids. And as much as I hated it, I wasn't a kid anymore. Even if they didn't think they needed it, it was my job to protect them.

Even if that meant fighting the Dark Ace.

Somehow, though, the decision was a lot easier to make away from him, when he wasn't clouding up my mind with his…his…I don't know, whatever he used to make me so confused about everything!

Yet, at the same time, I felt separated from my—not friends, no one had really been my friend since…yeah—my peers. Dove was too patriotic, she saw things in black and white.

Aerrow and Piper were together.

I was overcome by a fit of irrational anger. How dare they? How dare they be so wrapped up in their own happy world that they couldn't see how much I was suffering?

Of course, on a rational level, I couldn't get too mad at them—they were just kids, as I was reminded again and again. Also, I didn't let anyone see how much pain I really felt, not even myself, not really.

I was like damaged goods. I was like a ticking time bomb. I had to make sure that none of the people whom I cared about were around when I exploded.

Which was why I was getting out, running away. As much as I wanted to stay and help them, I wouldn't be a help, just a hindrance. I didn't want to hurt them, and as long as I was around, there was a good possibility that I would.

I heard the boom of exploding crystals, the crash of boulders on metal, and flashes of light streamed through the crack in the barn. It was time to make my exit.

* * *

Next couple chapters are going to be a bit different. You'll see what I mean in a day or two (hopefully)! Reviews are always welcome! (That means review now, before I go all evil on you!)


	26. Cat and Mouse

Author's Note: Well, this was quick. At least, more than usual. It's been less than a week, hasn't it?

I've been looking at _I can't bother logging in_'s DeviantArt, and I have to confess, it's quite inspiring. Actually, this chapter is named after one of my favorite pieces, a picture/drabble combination of the same title. Just wanted to get that little dedication out of the way, along with the customary disclaimer: I don't own anything. Kapiche?

REVIEW CORNER! ;-)

I can't bother logging in: Thanks again for another awesome review! I'm glad you like this story so much!

Miasinpie: That would be absolutely hilarious. Probably wouldn't happen, but I love to laugh about it all the same. (HAHAHAHAHA!) Okay, got that out of my system! You apple pie skills sound amazing! I can't wait to read your story either! I totally get having a lot of my mind, too! Well, have a great last couple hours of break!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: I don't think I'm _that_ evil. ;-) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

CryingSilverFox: Wow. I feel so honored! Again! Seriously, you give the absolute nicest reviews! Thank you so much, and I'm so glad you like it!

Helliexx: Thanks!

* * *

I revved the engine of my skimmer, then sped forward out into the sky.

At once, everything was better. A lot better. The wind pushed my hair out behind me, cooling my face with its caressing fingers, and I felt freedom. This was what freedom truly was: flying in the sky with no limits.

Whether it be a red sky or blue.

No! I had to stop thinking those thoughts! I had one home, and it was in the Atmos, and there were no other options. So I was not going to start thinking about a look of absolute surprise and pleasure on his handsome face if I turned up on his doorstep, asking to join him.

Because it wasn't real. I knew the Dark Ace, and I knew what he had done, and everything was just a game to him. There would be no look of surprise and pleasure, only a degrading sneer.

This was a game. He was the cat, and I was the mouse. When he caught me, he would play with me, and then when he got tired of me, he would kill me. That was the way life worked. That was the way this would work. I couldn't allow myself to fall into his trap.

_Kaboom!_

A red bolt of light—a crystal blast, a _Cyclonian_ crystal blast—reminded me exactly why I preferred blue in my skies, not red.

One part of me wanted desperately to turn around and fight, but I knew it was a fight I couldn't win. I knew if I turned around now, I would be captured, and I couldn't do that to my friends. I couldn't do that to myself.

I wondered: did I want to turn around and fight to get revenge? Or did I _want_ to get captured?

This was why they made you go through extreme psychological testing before one could graduate and become a Sky Knight. If you had even an ounce of doubt in battle, the fight was already lost.

Good thing this wasn't a fight, then, just a chase.

As much as I wanted to go back, to help my friends, to get their help…

Sometimes, the only thing you can do is run. It was a hard lesson for me to learn, because I'm the kind of person who likes to face my problems head-on. I'm the kind of person who will never give up, who will stubbornly persist, even if it is the death of them. It nearly was the death of me.

But now, it wasn't just my life on the line, so I ran. Or rather, flew. The intention behind it was the same.

I could hear them following me, I could hear them blasting me, I could even hear them calling their leader for backup. The shouts of "Come on, go faster!" and "She's getting away!" followed me.

What would they do? Would they chase me? Would they give up Terra Gale, and the Storm Hawks, just to catch me? If so, then my sacrifice would have to be worth it. I'd have to lead them even further away. I revved the skimmer, speeding through the air even faster.

"Starling."

He couldn't have said it that loudly—in fact, his low voice was barely above a whisper, but my head snapped sideways anyway, to meet his crimson gaze. His ruby eyes were sparkling, and he seemed almost…amused. "I leave you on a Terra for two hours and you manage to get yourself a skimmer and fly away. I have to say, Starling, I'm impressed."

"What's your real mission here?" I spat. "What are your Masters' orders? Are you supposed to capture me? Or bring down the Rebel Ducks? Because I'm leading you pretty far away from them."

The moment I said it, I felt so guilty. The entire reason I was running was for them: in the vain hope that the Dark Ace would get so caught up in the games that he would forget his real mission. Now, I opened my mouth too soon, and suddenly, he knew. He would go back.

The sickest part? I didn't ask him because I wanted to get away. I asked him because I wanted him to say that his orders were to go back, and I wanted him to follow me anyways. I wanted to know that the interest he showed me wasn't just because Cyclonis was after my talents.

He grinned knowingly, like he could see the internal battle going on, then he turned around. He knew the mind games I was playing, and he was the expert. He was calling my bluff. And even worse, he was going to win this round.

Without thinking, I whirled to a halt, hovering. "Don't you fly away from me, Dark Ace!" I screamed.

He smirked back at me. "I thought that was what you wanted. Anyways, Starling, you reminded me of my mission, so I'll remind you of yours. Get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

I felt numb. In a moment of weakness, I had lost it. I had acted irrationally. And if he hadn't wanted to prolong this game of cat and mouse, I would have been brought back to Cyclonia with the rest of the loot.

Quickly, I turned and sped away. If I had bothered to look, I would have noticed that no Cyclonian followed me. However, I was too caught up in my own thoughts, or rather, my own attempts not to think to much, that I didn't care. The streaks of water on my face, if there even were any, were just the result of the wind—flying as such high speeds without goggles.

I didn't even know where I was going, but my hands did. As I flew on for hours, never growing tired, not even really noticing the time passing, but my hands did know, and my hands did steer. I just kept going, until the sun was setting and the sky was getting dark, not really sure where I was…

Then I noticed the land beneath me. Devoid, empty, all but a small house, a flag, a rusting shield, and their graves.

I landed the skimmer, putting it in the garage, surprised that the door still opened. I sneezed a couple times—it was filled to the brim with dust, before making my way into the house.

It was dark, darker than I remembered, even though the Illumination Crystals across the interior had rarely been used. The entire place was covered in a thin layer of dust, and it had the feel of an old haunted house.

Home, sweet home. Yep, technically, this was my house.

After…you know what…Terra Mesa had banded together and all pitched in for making me this house, this memorial. Because my ship was gone, they assumed I needed a place to stay. I had never used it. I kept myself so busy with missions that I was always staying at some hotel. Sometimes, I slept while flying, although it is terribly dangerous and illegal in most parts of the Atmos. Usually, however, I landed before snoozing.

So, this house—I couldn't think of it as my house—felt strange, and unwelcoming.

I almost felt like their ghosts were here.

I had the irrational urge to go outside, to kneel at their graves, to pick up the dirt and never let it go, but I knew if I did, I would start crying. I might not make it back inside.

I had issues. I had skeletons I had buried in my closet, but they didn't go away. After five long years, the pain was still fresh.

However, now, something was different. Now, I had something else to be guilty for besides the death of my friends. Now, I had just as serious a problem: _him_.

So I faced the memories as they came. The present was a mess, the future looked bleary, but maybe, just maybe, I could deal with my past…

* * *

So, I'm sorry, all you Dark Ace/Starling fans, but the next couple chapters are going to be Starling's past. And let me tell you, this will be interesting. If you don't like the change of pace….

….um, too bad. I'm sorry, but I can't have every chapter be Starling and Dark Ace fighting, fighting, fighting. I wanted to make up a bit of her past. I promise it won't be for too many chapters.

Oh, and I'm not going to resort to using "Part 1, Part 2, etc." I'm going to come up with actual names for all the chapters this time. Thesaurus, here I come!


	27. Memories

Author's Note: See, I told you I would try to update every weekend! I actually am doing it ;-)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

REVIEW CORNER!

I can't bother logging in: You really are that inspiring ;-). Actually, I didn't want to copy you or anything, but I have read a pretty good Dark Ace/Starling story that's just about the same plot as your story. It's called "Mask" by Ileana Brannagh. I personally think it's very well-written. Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Miasinpie: As always, I love to hear what you think! Heehee, closets are fun, too. However, you've got the wrong season for it! Next year, when Halloween comes again…

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Oh, I am evil, I'm just not that flagrant about it. I'm not afraid to admit it, though ;-) However, you will probably never _catch_ me doing something evil, so you'll have to take my word on it. Thanks again for your wonderful review and compliment!

Pascy: Thank you again. I'm so glad you liked it!

* * *

Fifteen.

I didn't look much different at age fifteen than at twenty-one. Maybe I was four inches shorter, and my hair was a bit longer, but not much. I had the same athletic build, the same acceptable-but-not-pretty features, the same determined glint in my eye.

Determined I was as I stood in front of the Sky Knight Council, listening as they debated about my future as if I wasn't there.

"She's only fifteen!"

"She was the top of her class!"

"She's too young to have a license to _fly_ legally!"

"She's just a little _girl_!"

The last comment made me infuriated. I hated it when people didn't take me seriously because of my gender, or my age. Mostly my gender, though. Atmosia was supposed to be all about equality, but if one looked at the statistics, only about 20% of all the sky knight squadron members were female. 5% of all Sky Knights were actually women.

I was about to start yelling what sexist pigs they were, which is not a good idea to do to one's elders, when the head councilor banged his mallet for order.

"The Council has made its decision," he proclaimed. '_Oh, really?_' I thought. _'You didn't even vote.'_ "Starling shall become a Sky Knight. Her grades speak for themselves. Now, there is a newly formed squadron on Terra Mesa, all perhaps two or three years older than you, who need a Sky Knight. You'll go to them."

I didn't know whether to sigh in relief, jump up and down and celebrate, or groan in exasperation, so I bowed my head stoically. On the one hand, it would be amazing to have my own squadron, but a bunch of teenage boys? (There better be at least one girl on my squad!) They were all older than me, too, but not old enough to respect me, just old enough to think of me like a kid and disobey me. Still, a squadron of my own! This was my dream, right?

Right?

I didn't need to go pack my bags; my armor and my nunchucks were the only possessions that really mattered to me. Within the hour, I'd be at Terra Mesa, meeting my new team.

'The Interceptors.' That's what the Sky Knight Council had called them. It was a good enough name. I would make it go down in history.

* * *

When I arrived at Terra Mesa, the first thing I noticed was the ship. It was a smallish ship, a slightly older model, the standard grey with purple highlights. Instantly, my heart sank. Not that I had anything against purple, but everyone assumed that I loved the color because of my hair. I was given purple armor, purple nunchucks…I had hoped to escape the color scheme when I got my own squadron, but apparently not.

I stepped into the hanger bay, feeling rather awkward. My eyes scanned the nooks and crannies. I noticed five skimmers, despite the fact I had been informed that there were only four members of this squadron. Did they have a spare, or were they informed that I was too poor to buy my own skimmer?

"Hi!"

I whirled, whipping my crystal nunchucks out, the weapon coming to rest on a young woman's collarbone. If I did not have such expert control, I could have easily killed her. Still, she didn't have a scratch on her.

"Wow, you are good! I told Zach the only way they would give us such a young'un was if she had serious skills. And don't get mad if he teases you about being a girlie, just kick his ass like you could have done mine."

She was fairly tall, with long hair so fair it was nearly white. It was almost…metallic. She had soft, goldish eyes, clear, fair skin, and a thin frame. She held out her left hand, and I awkwardly shook it with my right. "Zelpha, medic, navigator, and mechanic. Plus friend."

I had no idea what to say to that, so I just remained silent.

"Oh, and we heard about your financial situation and all, so I took the liberty to build you a skimmer. I hope you don't mind."

Now my mouth fell open, gaping. Mentally, I cursed—I was supposed to be a Sky Knight now, and here I was standing around gaping like a kindergartener at a new school. "Thank you for your hospitality and your gracious gift." My voice sounded fake, stiff, even to my own ears. "I'm sure we'll come to be great friends."

She grinned, as if she sensed my internal struggle perfectly. "Don't worry, it won't be weird taking orders from a kid three or four years younger than us. Better than some old cod!" I giggled along with her at that. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team!"

The girl grabbed my hand, pulling me along, practically dragging me through the rest of the ship. I had to smile—I could see that this was a young, _unorthodox_ team, which suited young, unconventional _me_ just fine.

We passed a couple rooms on the way, and she dragged me into one to show me it was mine. It was a cute little chamber, purple with some yellow and blue abstract shapes, all very cheerful. There was a bed, a desk, a closet, and a chair. It was perfect for me—small, simple, but not cramped.

Of course, it took all of three seconds for this girl's attention span to be used, then she yanked me out to the next stop on my guided tour of the ship. She dragged me into another room, containing a boy with an explosion of faded green hair and goggles covering half his face working on a crystal.

"Brandon, our crystal mage," Zelpha presented proudly.

He grinned, pushing up his goggles onto his already-messy hair, but it seemed like he was quite shy in my presence. Mentally, I grinned—it would be nice to have at least one team member whose personality wasn't as overbearing as Zelpha's.

After a second, however, he started to look flustered. "Um, hi, nice to meet you," he mumbled. My eyes never left his, and my smile widened. Before I could say anymore, though, Zelpha was pulling me on to the next stop.

"It was a Chlorine Crystal that exploded on me!" I heard him shout after me, flustered. After a moment I realized he was talking about his hair. I looked at Zelpha for an explanation.

"He's very touchy about his hair," she told me. For once, I was grateful for her tendency to speak over-excessively. "He had the most beautiful blonde shade, then in an experiment gone wrong, it all changed. I think he's secretly grateful that you're here, he thought you'd understand with your hair being purple and all." She looked at me nervously, like she was afraid she had insulted me, but I laughed it off. I had long ago accepted that my hair was a weird color, and really, I didn't care too much. There were a lot of weird hair colors in the Atmos, and actually, green was pretty common. It was strange, perhaps, and exotic, but nothing to be embarrassed about.

I never understood how people got self-conscious about their image or their skills. Really, teenagers need to learn a little confidence!

Zelpha yanked me forward again, shoving me onto the bridge. I stumbled a bit, almost imperceptivity, but the boy lounging on the couch smirked.

Instantly, I didn't like him. Maybe it was something about his looks—dark brown eyes, dark brown hair, handsome features, strong, lean, muscular build—but really, it was more the way he carried himself, like he expected every girl to like him. His little cocky grin infuriated me, and the laziness in his eyes, like he was thinking _'oh, just another girl who's head over heels for me'_ made me want to punch him. Even his posture annoyed me: his feet were on the table, and he was leaning back, hands behind head.

Zelpha caught my stare, and the fire in my gaze, and grinned slyly at me. "That's Zach. He would be our Sky Knight if he hadn't dropped out of the Academy."

"There was nothing left to teach me," he said, as if he didn't care. However, I felt a similar hatred in his gaze on me as I held him. Here I was, four years his junior, and a graduated Sky Knight, and all he accomplished was perhaps being my First Officer.

"They obviously didn't teach you patience," I spat, slightly intimidated by his animosity and obvious disrespect to the Academy conventions.

He shrugged. "Patience doesn't matter if you don't have the skills."

"The opposite," I shot back. "With patience and proper planning, entire armies can be brought down. Spies, ambushes—it's smart tactics that win wars, not brute strength. Although I will show you that I also have the skills, if you care to meet me in the training room."

Zelpha grinned. "I can see you two will get along just fine." The glares we were shooting one another were so blatantly obvious that she had to have been being sarcastic.

"Hi, nice to meet you," came a monotone voice. "So what do you think of the ship?"

I turned to see the final member of my team, a girl with short, scruffy black hair cut at all different lengths and deep blue eyes. She was sitting down at the pilot's chair, which I found unusual, but it wasn't unheard of. If I had to guess, I'd say she was the youngest besides me.

"It's a beautiful ship," I replied carefully, knowing I would probably be judged on what I thought of it. "The model is older, but you must have done something to the engine, because it runs more smoothly than most of the ones straight out of the assembly lines. It's small and streamlined, so I can tell it will go quite fast. Although I'm not positive, I have the feeling it's maneuverable."

The girl smiled with such sincerity that I felt the entire room lighten up. "I am Versa, and you are my new best friend. Besides the Nelistar, that is. Neli is the best ship ever!" She was practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"Sounds great, just one question: Who let her name the ship?" I wondered under my breath, half to myself.

Zach caught me eye and a cute half-grin lit up his face, and for a second I thought he was going to laugh or say something or at least not be so insufferably rude to me. Then, his lips stubbornly turned down, and he looked away above my shoulder off into the distance.

He was giving me a cold shoulder; I could practically _feel_ the animosity radiating off of him. What had I done to deserve his hate?

"Well, the rest of us are really glad to have you," Zelpha interceded, noticing my change of mood. "And Zach was always a jerk, so don't feel bad. It's not personal. He has a problem with the whole world. So, I bet you've had a long day. Want to go and unload your stuff?" I nodded mutely, not caring to inform her that I had no stuff, and made my way back towards the hallway entrance.

Before I left for my room, I shot one last glance at Zach. I wasn't sure why I hated him so much, so quickly. Really, I couldn't blame him for being annoyed with the old, outdated traditions of the Sky Knights and their council. Maybe because he was so much like me, he got on my nerves. Still, I wasn't that annoying, was I?

I mentally shrugged. I had my team, they seemed fairly nice…well, most of them, at least…I was ready to face the world.

Teenagers, they always feel immortal. I didn't know it then, but it would be my downfall.

* * *

Dinner was fairly uneventful. Apparently, they didn't have dinner as some huge formal affair; they all just ordered pizza and ate it around the bridge. It suited me just fine. Afterwards, I stayed in the bridge, chatting with Versa about the various modifications she had made on her precious ship, until one by one, everyone else left except Zach. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I excused myself.

I was halfway to my room when I realized I had forgotten a book Zelpha had lent me back in the bridge, so I turned around. When I got there, however, I nearly tripped one something by the door. As I stopped, righting myself, I heard two low voices conversing. I waited at the doorway, surprised, and I couldn't help but begin to eavesdrop.

"So, what do you think of her, brother?"

"She's honest enough, seems pretty nice. I think I'll wait until I've fought her to judge her."

"Well, I like her a lot."

"Coming from someone who was so nervous she practically threw up her breakfast this morning…"

"You know, you don't have to tease me."

"Yes I do. It is my job as a sibling to annoy you as much as humanely possible."

"Whatever, Zach. I couldn't have asked for a better big brother."

There was silence for a second, then a yawn.

A low chuckle, then the male voice, Zach, replied, "I think you're ready for bed, Ver-bear."

Versa? Versa and Zach were brother and sister? "You mind giving me a lift?"

There was a grunt as Zach hefted the pilot up, then he said, "You know, if you had brought in your wheelchair, I wouldn't have had to cart you around all day."

I almost got the feeling that Versa was grimacing. "I'm sorry, Zach, I just wanted her to look at me as a person, not as an object to pity. I wanted her to see me one day without that cursed chair. I wanted to be accepted, like I was a normal pilot, and not some disabled person. _Special_." She spat the last word.

"Sis." There was venom in his voice now. "Listen to me. If this Starling kid judges you the least bit, I'm throwing her off this ship. I don't care if she's our Sky Knight, you're my sister, and I love you. I swore I would never let anyone hurt you, and I didn't just mean physically."

"Don't you dare use this as an excuse to be nasty to her," Versa pouted. "I really do like her, she's so nice. She's all naïve and sweet, but she's so fiery, too. She'll be good for the team, I can feel it. And I wouldn't mind if my big brother finally scored himself a girl—"

"Ew!" Zach exclaimed. I could imagine him wrinkling his nose in disgust, and nearly snorted at the funny mental picture. "What do you think I am, some sort of pedophile?"

"Sorry, I forgot how young she way, and how old _you_ are. She's so smart and she fit in so well, and you're just so immature," Versa teased. "Now, are you going to actually get me to my wheelchair, or are you just going to stand around thinking about carrying me?"

I realized the thing that I had nearly tripped on was her wheelchair, and practically raced away down the hallway. I'd hate to see what she'd think if she caught me _spying_ on her, albeit unintentionally.

I felt so bad—how had Versa been confined to a wheelchair? Was there some horrible accident, or had she just been born that way?

Even stranger, it was hard to reconcile the Zach who had ignored me and seemed to hate me to the kind, loving, joking boy who had been talking to his younger sister. What if something horrible had happened to her, and that was why he acted so rudely? Was I any better than him, judging him so suddenly?

I knew that Versa would be a great team member, and that I would be able to count on her. I had seen her drive sitting down just fine, and the ship was in amazing condition, thanks to her. The real person I was worried about was Zach. He seemed to hate everyone except Versa, and hate me extra just for the spite of it. And that was when he said he _wasn't_ judging me.

I was nervous, definitely nervous. This was a new team, and although I thought I had made a good impression, I couldn't be sure. I had no idea how well they would work together, or if they would accept my leadership.

I grinned to myself. Things were always more fun when the future wasn't certain. No matter what, I had the best team ever. The Interceptors would go down in history as fearless, brave, and victorious. With those thoughts in my head, I began to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Not that action-filled of a chapter, but you actually get to meet the Interceptors…until next week! Well, it might be a bit longer than next week (that's why this one was slightly longer). I have Finals coming up, and schoolwork comes first. Sorry!

However, after that comes Christmas Break, then I'll be able to write far more! ;-)

Don't let any of this stop you from reviewing!


	28. Past

Author's Note: Well, it's this time of week again (week_end!_) and as promised, I have another chapter for you.

I also have finals to worry about all of next week, so I'm sorry if the next one is a bit late. However, I will be out for Christmas break after that, and hopefully I'll have a lot more time to write.

I want to thank my reviewers: I can't bother logging in, dancing-with-the-devil 1995, smileyfacer, and SunflowerIce. Please, think of me taking nightmare two-hour-long tests, pity me, and send me a review. They really do lift my spirits.

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the Storm Hawks or any associated characters (because the actual Storm Hawks have only made one appearance so far, and they don't exist in this chapter).

* * *

Fearless, brave, and victorious.

I glanced around me in the sewer, which was absolutely disgusting. We were all wearing protective suits, and nose plugs, but it was still horrible. I hated it.

Fearless, brave, and victorious.

I didn't exactly imagine climbing through a Raptor's sewer on Terra Bogatron. I imagined something more…heroic. Sky duels, maybe, _in the fresh, clean air_. Or Cyclonian battleships, _in the fresh, clean air._ Or anything that involved air one could actually breathe without barfing from the stench!

Not for the last time I desperately envied Versa. I mean, it wasn't her fault that she had a disability, or that she couldn't do chores, or that her wheelchair wouldn't fit in the sewer, or that the reason we were here in the first place was for her, but I still felt jealous. I wanted to puke, I wanted to run away…

Only one thing stopped me: Zach.

After they had all welcomed me the first day, I felt like I had slipped right into the family. I grew used to the explosions from the crystal lab, and I even convinced Brandon to come out and train a bit. After my lessons, he became mildly proficient in Sky Fu. Versa and I became great friends—I mean, who wouldn't love the girl, she was so sweet—and I assured her that it was her personality I loved her for, her legs didn't matter. She wouldn't stop beaming after I told her that. Zelpha's room happened to be right next to mine, so for the first couple nights we had sleepovers, chatting about girlie stuff until well past midnight. I have never shown interest in girly stuff before and I doubt I ever will, but those hours will Zelpha giggling under the covers gave us a bond we will never break.

Zach was the only one who didn't like me, and it wasn't even my fault. He never gave me the chance. I think he first decided he hated me when I took Versa, who rarely got out of the ship, for some hang-gliding.

Hang-gliding, in my opinion, is a far superior sport to Sky Surfing. Zelpha was flying our skimmer, and I had gliders on my back. We would fly really high, then Versa and I, grabbing on to each other, would jump off, plummet, and at the last minute I would flash open my gliders and we would swoop around. At first, it was really nerve-wracking, but by the second or third time, I had gotten used to the fact that I had a passenger, and Versa had gotten used to the entire thing, and we began to be more and more dare-devilish in the length of our falls.

Zach, of course, happened to peak his head out the hanger bay doors during one of the 'plummet' parts. He was _not _happy.

I choose to omit this part from my recollection, let's just say this was the time in my life I learned all of the swear words I know today and I also swore never to use them. But, yeah, Zach was seriously pissed that I was jumping off of skimmers with his little sister.

Actually, I think Zach hated me before that, the first morning when I took him up on his offer to spar. He was strong, good, and fast but I was far faster and I knew how to utilize it. I could also work my small size to my advantage.

I won. Instead of winning his admiration and respect, I simply got more disdain from him.

I tried to treat him fairly, I really did. He was my first officer, so I did leave him in charge whenever I left the Nelistar. I gave him important missions, I let him help with the planning…it wasn't like he had no good opinions; actually, he quite smart and great at planning. Only, he seemed to use every opportunity to make the plan better as an opportunity to tear me down with it. He used every suggestion he made to slip in a snide remark about my intelligence, or my leadership.

I was really at my wit's end with him. It would be one thing if he treated everyone like that, then I could just confront him about it, but no, it was only I. I couldn't just go up to him and say, "Stop bullying me." I was supposed to be the leader here, and that would just sound immature and undermine my authority. I could only ignore it and not show how much it was getting to me.

This mission, the one we were on right now, was a controversial one. On the one hand, I had created it, planned it, and done everything to set it in motion on my own, which Zach hated. On the other hand, it was helping his little sis, so he couldn't complain.

Allow me to explain: We were sneaking through the sewers of Terra Bogatron in hopes to rescue some Raptor scientists that Repton was holding hostage. In return, the scientists promised to give Versa a crystal-propelled wheelchair, which she would love because then she wouldn't need people to push her around (she could wheel herself, but she didn't like to, and sometimes it got hard, for example, going up slopes or stairs). In addition, they bragged, this wheelchair could fly, but the genius behind this chair was one of the scientists that Repton had captured.

Hence our rescue mission.

Hence the sewers.

Zach had criticized the plan from the get-go, but he never complained during the actual mission. There was absolutely no way that I was going to give up and turn back simply because I was squeamish. I could out-last him; I was positive.

I took a small breath, trying not to retch, and stepped forward. Something squished underfoot and I really and truly did not want to know what it was. Fearless, brave, and victorious. I repeated it in my head like a mantra, stepping forward, one step after another. Soon we would be done this stage of the plan and we would simply have to crawl back through the sewers, only this time with three Raptor scientists in tow. Great, just great.

The plan went something like this: sneak in through the underground sewer system, according to the plans Zelpha found, there was an entrance right near the cell, pick the lock, get the Raptors out of there while Brandon set up a hologram, and get the hell out of there. Knowing Raptors and their intelligence, it would be a few days before they realized their prisoners were replaced by crystal-produced images.

So far, the plan was going brilliantly, so skipping forward past another half hour of treading through the quagmire, we made it to the proper hatch. I hopped up, trying to push the pothole cover out of the way, until I realized it weighed over half as much as I did. Below, Zach grew anxious at the holdup, and climbed over me to push it off himself.

"Weakling," I heard him murmur.

"Show off," I shot back under my breath. He didn't respond, but I could have sworn I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye.

Zelpha hurried forward, quickly picking the lock to the cell in front of us, and in no time at all, we stared at the faces of three confused looking scientists. Zelpha hustled them out of the cell to where I stood waiting, by the pothole.

"Get in here!" I hissed.

"Who are you?" the Raptor replied in a nasally voice. It really didn't look like much—just like an overgrown lizard with goggles that was sort of hunching over. It did look about three times my size, but I suspected that was fat, not muscle. All in all, it wasn't a very frightening specimen. I wondered why in the world Raptors were considered so scary. "And why would I want to come with you?" Nerd Lizard continued. "It looks smelly down there."

I was really at my wit's end. "It is smelly down there," I growled. "And I'm Starling, Starling of the Interceptors. Remember the name."

"Oh, I will." It wasn't the scientist's stuffy-nose voice that replied.

Come on! Seriously? Are villains determined to prove that I can't be a Sky Knight or something? This is getting to be annoying.

I whirled around, and discovered exactly why Raptors were so feared.

It was a giant lizard, alright, and it was at least three times my size, but even more, it was all muscle. It barred it snout at me, showing teeth, and its tail slashed back and forth behind it like a whip. Its eyes were strange, like the eyes of a cat, not fully round and all black. Internally, I shivered. On the outside, I met its gaze with confidence.

It powered up a yellow knife that looked wicked deadly and advanced on us. "I'll hold him off," I said loudly. "Zach, Zelpha, Brandon, get these Raptor scientists out of here."

I didn't turn to look, but I heard Zach urging them into the pothole behind me. The scientists didn't seem to care about giving him a hard time now.

"Aren't you a little young to be a Sky Knight?" the menacing Raptor asked me, towering over me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I get that all the time. I'm not that young, and it's not age that makes a Sky Knight." He grinned, showing off his creepy pointed teeth, and we began circling each other. I clutched my crystal nunchucks lightly, ready to leap into action at any moment.

"So, are you going to tell me your name?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, hoping to get him talking, distracted.

"Certainly. You can call me—"

He leapt forward without a warning, bringing his curved sword down heavily on my nunchucks. However, I was ready, leaping off to the side and rolling forward before hopping back up. "You're good. Well, I'm called Repton." He smirked, then motioned to where he was located. He was right by the pothole, which I had left unprotected. "See you, Starling."

No! I couldn't let him get to them, so I did the stupidest thing imaginable—I chucked my weapon at him.

Well, I had been trained in throwing and unorthodox use of weapons, so it wasn't badly aimed. It hit him straight in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him backwards, away from the hole with my friends. Yes! I rushed over, placing myself between him and the hole, wondering how in the world I expected to keep him away from it.

He stood, screaming inarticulately, and I realized the serious flaw in my plan. As in the fact that he still held his boomerang-sword-thingy and I was weaponless.

He swung it down, leering, and I motionlessly faced it. If I was going to die, might as well die in battle, brave, not cowering and screaming.

And if I was going to trick him, it was pertinent that I did not flinch.

At the last moment, I ducked my body to the side and lifted the pothole cover up with as much force as I could. It weighed more than half as much as I did, but using my last burst of adrenaline, I hoisted it above my head.

Repton's sword didn't have a chance. It splintered into about twenty different pieces. However, the force of his blow combined with the initial weight of the cover forced me to drop it.

It fell, right on his toe.

He howled in pain, kicking it off and I darted past him grabbing my weapon. "Now, Repton," I smirked, "why don't you get into the cell?"

He did as I ordered silently, although it wasn't like he had a choice.

However, as I turned to leave, he spoke once more to my retreating form. "Starling of the Interceptors, I will not forget you. Vengeance will be mine, and I will take it not only on you, but on your squadron as well."

"I'll be waiting, ready," I called back, before starting off back home.

----------

Back on the Nelistar, there was a party going on. The Raptors (our friendly nerd variety, or course) apparently loved pizza and had huge hordes of it stashed away in their laboratories, which they zapped up with some lasers. We had a ginormous dance party, which Versa could actually participate in. She was having a great time on the Raptors' prototype chair, and they promised her a new one with all the kinks worked out in a week.

However, at about midnight, the Raptors had to leave; they never stayed up to late, they had busy schedules inventing things. As much as they hated Repton, they were required to make a certain amount of weapons simply to stay alive, and they couldn't do that on six hours of sleep.

Versa was the next to head off; she was exhausted, and even though she was happier than ever, she still needed her rest. The Raptor scientists had been talking about making a wheelchair that converted into a skimmer, and that might be ready in a month's time. She couldn't wait.

Brandon was off next, claiming that he had some reading he wanted to catch up on, and at this point, Zach began to eye me weirdly. Zelpha caught on, and made excuses.

Only Zach and I were left in the room. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a party any longer. I put down my soda and headed for the door.

"Starling."

I froze.

"I want to talk to you."

"I'm listening." I reminded myself that this was a fellow crew member, and that it was impolite to turn my back on him. Steeling myself, I whirled around.

His face was not its usual indifferent mask, or even an aloof sneer—it was downright livid. "Don't you ever do that to us again," he growled.

"Do what?" I replied, raising my hands to gesture around the room. "Make a plan that actually works? Try to help your sister?"

"Sacrifice yourself to try to save us."

I glared at him. "I can perfectly well take care of myself, thank you very much. There's not a scratch on me."

He stepped forward, all in my personal space, and I froze. I mean, I hadn't really dealt with boys before, and I was so not interested. I did not want things to get all awkward in my team just because the big jerk decided this was a better way to tease me.

He stroked a line down my cheek, and I realized it stung. When he pulled his finger away, there was blood.

One of the shards of Repton's broken blade must have pierced me as it hurtled past.

"Okay, one scratch," I admitted. "No big deal."

His hand curled into a fist, and his dark eyes flashed. "Yes, big deal. Whether I like it or not, you're our leader. You're the heart of this team now. They all…we all love you. You can't go putting yourself in danger like that."

I was shocked. He had included himself in the people who would give a damm if Repton had chopped me up for this night's stew.

"What would you have done if you were in my place?"

That one, I knew, he couldn't answer, because the truth was, there was only one thing to do—what I did. I flashed him a smile, then continued walking past out to the door.

"Oh—and Starling?"

"What do you want now?"

"Thank you."

* * *

Review, please.


	29. Unforottten

Author's Note: I could apologize for taking a week, but I figured I'm bored of apologizing, and sometimes I feel like all authors do in their author's notes are apologize for being late. I'm as tired of saying what a busy person I am, and how hard it is to write a chapter every week as I am of saying the disclaimer (I don't own anything. So there, I'm not typing it again). You know that I'm busy. You know I have school, and extracurricular, and babysitting duty for by lil' brothers, and maybe you don't know the exact details, but I'm sure you realize that I don't just sit around on my computer every day typing these stories. I have a life too, and things might be a little late.

Whew, had to get that out.

Onto a happier subject, namely, REVIEW CORNER!!!

Miasinpie: I love the accent! I actually know two words in German, and they're both insults. I'm not sure how to spell them, but they mean "pigdog" and "dumbhead." They sound something like "dombkoph" and "svienhuent." Yeah, that's me, insulting people in German. Guess what, my family was watching "UP" (have you seen it yet) and of course, the dogs were so hilariously stupid, but the character whom I felt really bad for was the explorer, who, or course, was evil. If you haven't seen UP then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about, but I found it funny I empathized with the antagonist. Well, enjoy x-mas in Utah!

Smileyfacer: Yeah, we're spending a couple more chapters with the Interceptors before we go into present day. Thank you so much for the good wishes, now I only have to wait until grades come out!

Dancing-with-the-devil 1995: Thank you so much, I most certainly did get it and I do appreciate it. You shamelessly flatter me, but I will try to keep producing acceptable work.

SunflowerIce: You never know, there may be some plot twist where they survive and Starling has no idea…don't count on it, but it's still a possibility. Thank you so much for the review and the good wishes, and I did get the chapter up, didn't I?

Oh, and in case all of you didn't notice from the content of this chapter, this is "Prisoner: Special Christmas Edition."

* * *

Can you be someone's mother if you're younger than them?

Not literally, of course—that's impossible. Completely and utterly impossible. Anyone who thinks _that_ could happen must still believe in the stork flying around delivering babies to happy couples.

Yet staying in the Nelistar for nearly two months now, I've become somewhat of a mother to the entire squadron.

It's funny, because we're all so young, and we're all somehow orphans or outcasts. Brandon's mom died in childbirth, and his dad, a brilliant but eccentric scientist, taught him everything. When Brandon decided to join a squadron, his father sent him off happily, as he just really got in the way of experiments.

Zelpha had a whole huge family, and she was the youngest of 13? 14? I'm not really sure what number she told me, and it changes depending on whether or not you're counting half-brothers, step-sisters, or cousins that had lived in the giant house since before she was born. She loved her whole huge family, but they could practically populate a Terra on their own, and no one had too much time to pay attention to her. She decided to get out and see the world, and a Sky Knight squadron was her ticket.

I actually didn't learn about Zach and Versa's past for a little while. I had mentioned it to Zelpha, and she got a sad look and her face and told me that Zach would share when he was ready. I didn't push her, because although I had told them I was an orphan, I didn't give them any more details on the death of my family. It was too painful to talk about.

It was getting dark, the ship was moored, and everyone was playing around in the bridge while I cooked them burgers and made some salad. I personally did not see the appeal to meat, so, of course, there was tofu for me (Versa had taken up eating it, too, although I'm not sure if it was because she hero-worshiped me or if she really liked it). From the smells coming from the stove, the patties were almost done. I popped the buns from the toaster, and quickly assembled the food the way everyone like it.

One onion, and a dash of salt for Brandon, Versa was eating just tofu and salad tonight, although I knew her brother would convince her to take a bite or two of his, a cheeseburger with everything for Zelpha, and _two_ cheeseburgers with everything for Zach. Well, his sister was going to steal a bit, but still, it's an awful lot of food!

"Dinner's ready!" I called. Zelpha hurried to help me with the plates, grabbing her own and Brandon's and taking it to him on the couch. I put Zach's on the counter where he could easily grab it as he crossed the room, and then lifted the two vegetarian dishes up. I plopped one on Versa's lap, then pushed her the rest of the way across the room. With everyone seated and happy, I closed my eyes for a minute and let the conversation wash over me.

"So, Brandon, any good new articles in Scientific Atmosian?"

Zelpha smiled, her bright eyes twinkling, as she waited for his reply. The first time she did something like this, flirting with all the boys on the crew, I confronted her about it. She laughed, tossing her metallic hair, and informed me she wasn't _interested_ in any of them, she just needed practice.

Sometimes I wonder if I will _ever_ understand her.

"Well, there was a very interesting piece about the affect of Cyclonia on innovation. Almost all the important breakthroughs in crystal science have been done by a Cyclonian terra, and even non-Cyclonian inventions are said to have leaked from laboratories on Cyclonia."

Versa grew interested now. "What about my rocket-chair?" she grinned.

"Well, that's the interesting part," Brandon explained, looking down. He was oblivious to the affect his words had on her. "Your chair was used as an example. The mechanics the Bogatron scientists adapted from that of skimmers, and the crystals themselves were made based off a Cyclonian research report they were given. Terra Bogatron is still in alliance with Cyclonia, you know."

Disgust tightened in my gut, and I clenched my fists. Cyclonian technology. Sure, great. The same Cyclonian technology that had killed my parents, and thousands of other innocent civilians.

Yet when I calmed myself down enough to glance at Versa, I could tell she was taking it even worse. Her entire face was contorted in a mixture of anger and hate, yet she was biting her lip and tears were welling up in her eyes.

I glared at Brandon. "We did not need to hear that," I hissed through clenched teeth. He started, and seemed to notice the reaction everyone was having to his news, then blushed furiously.

"I'm so sorry…" he began to stammer, but I cut him off.

"Zach, you are fairly knowledgeable about history, who invented the crystal converter that can change practically any stone of power into fuel for a ship?"

"Um…"

"Terra Cyclonia," I answered myself irately. "It was in History and Technology 101 at the Sky Knight Academy; I was hoping you might have actually listened a bit during class. It doesn't matter. What matters is, does it make all of Atmos evil for using such crystal technology to power our ships? No!"

I took a deep breath, and continued my rant. "The scientists are forced against their will to obey Repton, who in turn is the dictator of that place and he alone decided to affiliate himself with Cyclonia. Those scientists were just trying to make the world a better place, and because they made you happy, they did."

"But you know what? Even if they were evil, and that wheelchair had the capability to become a doomsday device, it still wouldn't make you evil, Versa. It still wouldn't make you connected with the Cyclonians in any way. You're using the technology to stop them, and to help people, and that's the way it should be."

I couldn't think of anything else to say, but Zelpha jumped right in. "Starling's completely right, you know. It doesn't matter where your chair was from, it doesn't matter where you are from. It's who you are right now, it's what you do and the choices you make, that confirm your identity."

Brandon cringed even more.

Zach came over and hugged her, and whispered something into her ear.

At this time, the reality of the whole situation came crashing down on me. Sure, she might be upset over the chair, but really, this reaction was over the top. There was something here that I wasn't being told. There was something here that I was missing.

My confusion must have manifested in my expression, because Versa took one glance at me then said, "Starling, I'm so sorry. I should have told you, but I was afraid you would hate me, ever since you told me the Cyclonians killed your family. Starling, I am Cyclonian."

I had to admit, it was a shock, but not a surprise. I knew she and Zach had been hiding something about their past, and this revelation was almost expected.

Although what was I supposed to do?

I swallowed. As their leader, there was only one thing I could do.

"It doesn't matter."

Four head whipped up and stared at me in shock. I took a deep breath, then repeated, stronger, "It doesn't matter. You might be Cyclonian in blood, but same as the chair, it's your actions that make you who you are. And you don't seem to Cyclonian to me when you're kicking their asses with you awesome flying. I've mad Atmosians at the SKA who are total jerks and bullies. There are Atmosian criminals. Being born on Terra Atmosia doesn't make you good."

"Same being from Terra Cyclonia doesn't make you bad. It's what you choose to do that makes you good or evil."

"Versa, I've spent two months with you here on this ship, and I can say that I know you are good. Even more than that—I love you. You are like family to me." I looked around meeting their eyes. "All of you are like family to me. So I don't care if you're from Cyclonia or Atmosia, it's your actions that make you who you are—hero, villain, Sky Knight, jerk—not your birth."

There was a solemn silence for all of three seconds, then, naturally, "Well, thanks a lot, Starling."

I glared at him. "What is it this time, Zach?"

"Don't think I didn't catch the insinuation that I was a jerk just because my dad was from Atmosia."

Of course, we all laughed, and the bright mood was back, but it was different. It was as if there were less walls between us. All of us were closer.

We were truly becoming family.

--------

That night, when I decided to retire early, I was slightly surprised when Zach followed me. I decided I didn't want to wait for him to corner me in the hallway, so I stopped.

"You did a great thing back there, reassuring her like that."

"Why wouldn't I? I just told her the truth. I only wished you trusted me enough to tell me before."

"Starling, I don't care about you, I care about her. I will keep her safe, no matter what. I want you to remember that."

"Overprotective brother much? Why are you so obsessed with keeping her safe?"

"Because I failed the first time. What I came to tell you was, you did a truly kind thing, reassuring her like that, especially when you didn't know her history. Or mine. I was born to an Atmosian mother and father, then the war with Cyclonia got bigger. My father joined to ranks of the Sky Knight Infantry. My mother was a medic, often on the scenes of battles. One time, the Cyclonians attacked the hospital tent she was working in. A Talon raped her. The next day, she learned her husband, my father, had been killed in the same battle. She also learned she was pregnant. I was two, already being taken care of at the Sky Knight Academy Toddler services."

"By the time she had the baby, Versa, she had gone nearly insane. She hated the child, because the innocent baby was half Cyclonian, and a reminder of all she had lost."

"Mom took me back home, and home schooled the both of us. She wanted me to follow my father's footsteps, and she treated Versa like a slave. I hated it. I wanted to get out. As soon as I was ten, I went to the Sky Knight Academy and never looked back."

"When I was sixteen, I visited again. I found Versa confined to a wheelchair because Mom, in a fit of rage, had shattered the bones in her legs then refused to let her go to the hospital."

"I sued for legal emancipation—I was old enough—then turned the evidence of child abuse over to the authorities, enough for her to get thrown in jail. I took custody as the only living relative of Versa, then ran before they could figure out that I was still a minor. With the training I received at the Academy, I was able to score a job as a squaddie on a team. I took Versa with me. The pilot was getting old, and befriended her, and soon Versa was flying the ship, too. When we had saved up enough money, we got our own ship, an old one, but Versa began to fix it up. Sure enough, the Sky Knight squadron we were with was getting old, and retired. We went to our new ship, which she insisted on calling the Nelistar. Zelpha heard of us and found us, and by that time, we were called 'Terra Mesa's unofficial Sky Knight Squadron.' We though of a name together—about that point, Brandon joined us, and we applied to the official registry. They said I couldn't be our Sky Knight, because I had left school before I could take the final exams and 'kidnapped' Versa. However, they were willing to forgive me for that, if I remained in the Sky Knight Service. Then they sent me you."

My cheeks reddened. "Oh, Zach, I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize for something that was not your fault." His voice was as sharp as his glare.

"No…I've been calling you a lazy drop-out since the moment I met you. I had no idea."

Zach smirked, and my cheeks went red. "Oh, yes, Starling, I am such the victim here. My low self-esteem can't bear to take all of the insults you've thrown at me." He moved closer to me.

"Yeah, right, more like your ego," I snorted back.

He was definitely in my personal space right now, so I backed up a little.

"Starling…" he began softly.

Zelpha burst into the hallway. "Hey, Zach, Versa wants to talk to—oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

She grinned knowingly. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"No, Zelpha! It's not like that!" we both cried simultaneously.

She smirked. "Aw, the Sky Knight and the First Officer. That is such a perfect couple. It's like a fairy tale! So cute!" She flounced back into the bridge, all thoughts of getting Zach gone.

"Zach, you don't like me like that, do you?" I pleaded.

"No way. Strangely, you're almost like a mom to me, the way you're always giving orders, making us do chores, cooking our dinner, keeping us safe…I mean, I don't want to hurt you feelings, but it would be weird."

Relief shined through my face. "No, that's good, because knowing her, she's going to try to set us up, and I don't need you on her side making this harder for me."

"Going back to hating me already?"

"No…I just like teasing you, that's all. Plus, how old are you exactly?"

"Oh, that stings. I think you've hurt my over-inflated ego again."

------

The next morning, I woke up with actual sunlight shining across my face. What the…?

Quickly, I fumbled for my alarm, and found it perfectly disabled, with a note from Zelpha that read, _Happy Winter Solstice! We thought you'd like to sleep in._

Oh, I saw what was coming, all right. Zelpha wanted something, and she was so not above sucking up for it. Maybe another Sky Knight would be happy, but I was just annoyed. Seriously, I was missing my entire morning exercise and training routine, and I was seriously worried about someone other than me cooking.

I came into the bridge to smell fresh, warm pancakes, oozing with strawberries and bananas. Before I could start drooling, Zelpha set a large plate down before me.

I tore my eyes away from the beautiful feast—_think with your head, not your stomach, girl—_and glared at her. "What do you want, Zelpha?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"You're _cooking_."

"Point conceded. Although, this time, it wasn't my idea."

I glanced around the room. Zach looked bored, but he was grinning slightly, obviously enjoying my embarrassment and cluelessness. Brandon was digging into his own pile of pancakes, although they looked slightly burn, obviously an earlier batch. Versa was very intently studying a magazine.

Oh, yeah, guilty through and through.

"Versa, what do _you_ want?"

"Zelpha was the one who convinced me about it. I just said that you liked pancakes," she squeaked, nervous.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to Zelpha. "Well, what do you want?"

"Winter Solstice party. Tonight, all night. After all, it's the longest night of the year."

"I can't go. I'm too young."

Zelpha grinned predatorily. "Oh, we can sneak you in easy."

My grimace conveyed exactly how much I liked _that_ idea. "I'm a Sky Knight. I don't do parties."

Behind the magazine, Versa's face fell. Even Zach sighed and looked even more bored than usual. "But you guys can go, I mean, someone needs to stay behind and watch the ship."

Everyone looked delighted again; watching their faces swing between such extreme emotions was almost comical. Only Versa seemed to hold the slightest bit of reservations. "Are you sure? It is my ship, and I don't want you to miss out on all the fun."

Parties had never been fun to me. Even when one took out the illegal substances, all it was consisted of too loud music, dark, flashing lights, and too many people squashed together. No, I did not enjoy parties one bit.

I smiled as pleasantly as I could. "Don't worry, I'll have fun here on the Nelistar." After all, I did need to catch up on my missed morning training.

Yep, that was how _I_ spent my winter holidays.

* * *

Um, I was going to include the festival too—and a visit on the Nelistar by a surprise guest—but it got too long. Hopefully, there will be another installment before Christmas. Review! And tell me, just who do you think my surprise guest will be?


	30. MemoriesRescue Gone Wrong

Author's Note: Okay, this time I actually am sorry. I've had a lot of things to do, and I know that everyone is busy, and it isn't an excuse. As the second semester of school started, I realized that if I wanted to be serious about my academics, I needed more time, and I couldn't stand the pressure of updating every week. I'm trying to write and publish a novel, and somewhere in the great many things on my agenda list, Fanfiction writing got lost on the bottom.

Yeah. Sorry. So I went on hiatus with absolutely no warning, leaving you hanging on the edge for another chapter.

What changed my mind? An anonymous review from "", which reminded me a lot of myself, whenever I read stories or read books. I absolutely devour them, then I'm dying for the sequel. That's actually the reason I began writing fanfiction—I needed a sequel so badly I decided to write my own.

I'm not going to promise any other type of regular update. I can't guarantee that you'll get another installment of this for who knows how long. But, , whoever you are, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it's for you.

* * *

The ship creaked eerily with its absence of all life, and once again, I wondered if I should have gone to the solstice party. However, someone had to be ready to respond to emergencies. I popped open a can of SkyFizzer, despite the fact that I hate the sugary stuff, just to give myself something to do.

"--crackle-crackle--Help--static-static--Help–static--stuck–static—Wastelands—" The radio crackled out in full-blown static, but my attention stayed fixed on it. This could be just the sort of excitement I craved tonight, but due to a little laugh my attuned ears picked up in the background, I suspected my squad was playing a trick on me.

Gritting my teeth in annoyance, I tried to focus in on the signal again, using the new technology Brandon installed which gave coordinates using some weird quantum crystal math. I knew that if it was really my own squad, Brandon would find a way to block his own invention, and I would just get nothing.

Unless he sent me on a wild-goose chase by programming false coordinates.

I sighed, and turned the radio on again. This time, the calls for help sounded more strained. Pressing the button Brandon showed me, I jotted down the set of numbers, then took off sprinting to my skimmer. I made sure I locked up before I flew away, and just out of spite, armed all the traps. If my team wanted to prank me, then they could get pranked themselves.

---

It was a cool night, but flying under the cloudline with the illumination of the Wastelands, despite hundreds of feet of distance, I could feel the molten rock's heat. If there was ever one place I despised, it was the Wastelands. Not being able to see the blue of the sky, red glow all around me—it reminded me of those tales of Cyclonia. According to the myths, the sky there was always red from all their pollution. I didn't think that was _possible_.

I was getting closer to the coordinates; I could tell because the crystal tracker Brandon had installed on all the skimmers was beeping louder now. Gritting my teeth, I angled myself closer to the roiling magma and began scanning the little islands of rock for some indication of life.

To my great surprise, I found some. There was a small figure, couldn't have been more than a kid, huddled and crying. Quickly I flew down next to him to try to see what was wrong.

He looked up at me, and I realized my mistake. It wasn't a kid—it was a lizard.

It was pale green, and sort of fat, and when I stepped closer it began trembling, reminding me of the shy scientists whom I had rescued. "Hey, what's your name?" I coaxed it. It just began to cry harder.

At this rate, I was never going to get it back to its home. I needed information!

I stormed back to my skimmer to see what I had that could possibly help me. Weapons? No, I was trying to help this kid! Radio? No. The reception down here was especially horrible, and everyone else absolutely hated the Raptors. What else did I have? Just a lot of old junk and trash and—

A candy bar.

Now, I personally don't like those sugar-and-chemical-filled bars of death, but when I caught Zach eating one during a battle, I confiscated his stash from his skimmer. I decided to hide them in my skimmer because the whole team knows how protective I am of it, and none of them would touch it.

An evil grin lit up my face. "Hey, kid, you want some candy?"

---

Ten minutes later I had landed on Terra Bogatron and the kid and I were prowling through the forest around the main stronghold. He still wouldn't tell me his name, but insisted that he had to get back to his room before his brother discovered he was missing. He mumbled a lot about "Mommy" too.

Surprising how much chocolate opens up kids.

At the fortress entrance, the guards were snoozing, so kid and I tiptoed in. He seemed to know his way around pretty well, which I should have known was a danger sign, but I was oblivious. I just wanted to get him back to his room and get out.

"Walmoos dare," he lisped, motioning for me to come faster. I nodded and sped up. He was a cute kid, definitely growing on me, but no way did I want to be stopped by Repton in a place like this or anything.

Luckily, there was no one in the corridors. We got to the kid's room without encountering a soul. Thank goodness.

"Bye, kid," I whispered, then waited to make sure he got into his room. He flicked the crystal lights on and—

"Leugey," the voice hissed. "So glad you could make it home."

"I told you, Repton," another voice, a cold, human one that I did not recognize, continued. "And look, not only have you got your errant little brother back, but you've also found yourself the Sky Knight who took him hostage."

I stepped into the light. If I had already been found, no use hiding. Maybe I wouldn't get out of this alive, but at least I was going to go down fighting. Except for the fact that I had left my nunchucks on the skimmer to not scare the kid.

Repton was just as scary as I had remembered—ugly, strong, huge, and with those spiky teeth. I felt even smaller than usual, which I hated. It wasn't my fault I was petite!

The other person, the human, was wearing a Talon uniform. He had a sneer on his face, spiky black hair, and dark eyes. I would have said they looked almost red.

"Think whatever you want," I spat. "I found the kid in the Wasteland with a ruined Heliscooter."

"And you rescued him because?" the weird, creepy Talon asked.

"Because that's what Sky Knights do!" I glared back. I turned to Repton, because at least I had met him before. "Hey, Repton, who is this jerk you have with you? Mister-slightly-less-ugly-than-a-Talon-with-a-mustache?"

Repton opened his mouth, but mister-not-as-ugly stopped him with one arm. "No, wait, it's nice not being recognized. This is funny. I want to see how this works out. Get out your weapon, crazy Sky Knight girl."

I felt my fury rising inside me. "What, you want to tell all your little Talon buddies that you got to see a real Sky Knight? You want an autograph?"

"Weapon," he insisted. "Or I'll just tell Repton to attack you unarmed."

"And Repton will listen?" I shot back, just as Repton hissed, "Yeah, right."

He still stared at me expectantly, so I grudgingly admitted, "I didn't bring mine, I didn't want to scare the kid."

He started laughing, a nasty chuckle that made me shiver. "You really are new to this, aren't you? You genuinely were trying to help the kid."

I rolled my eyes. "What kind of horrible place is Cyclonia that everyone has to have ulterior motives? Maybe I was just trying to do something nice."

"Go back to where you came from, kid," the Talon snorted. "You're too young and naïve to be a Sky Knight."

That made me seriously angry. I lunged forward with no warning, grabbing the staff he was holding and whipping behind him so I held its crystal tip at his neck. "I can't," I replied scathingly. "They're all dead, because of people like you."

I glanced up at Repton, and he seemed genuinely nervous. Whomever this Talon was, I guess he had enough power and importance to boss around Repton. They most certainly didn't want him dead.

As if he could tell what I was thinking, Repton said, "Why don't you put the weapon down?" as if soothing a wild animal.

I grinned ferociously. "Why don't you get out of my way?"

The Talon laughed. "Isn't this an interesting turn of events. Well, you better get out of her way, Repton. I know how much you hate me, and I can take care of myself. I promise, Cyclonia won't blame you no matter what happens."

A win-win for Repton, who stepped out of the way, not even trying to hide his smirk.

The entire way back, the strange man was shaking weirdly, and it took me a little while to figure out he was laughing. I wasn't so sure what he found funny, but he was my ticket out, so I didn't question him.

Finally, I reached my skimmer, and snatched up the nunchucks. With my preferred weapon in hand, I released him, and even tossed him back his spear. I climbed onto my skimmer, and he climbed on after me.

"What are you doing, you creepy stalker?"

"You're taking me captive, right?"

"Wrong." I turned to look at him. "I only needed you to get out of there alive. You can go back to whatever you were doing. I don't care."

He started laughing again. "What, is this another strange Sky Knight rule? This honor?"

I blushed, and began to defend myself. "As far as I can tell, you haven't done anything wrong. I'm not going to punish you for being in the wrong place at the wrong time wearing the wrong uniform. Plus, you did save my life."

The man laughed again. "Darling, you'll be dead within a few weeks if you continue with that sort of attitude."

I kicked him off my skimmer, then brought it to a hover before he could climb back on again. "You think I care? The only thing I want to do is help a few people before I go."

"Whatever. Goodbye, suicidal Sky Knight."

"Goodbye, mustache-less Talon."

I flew away into the clear, velvet sky.

---

Surprise, surprise, when I returned to the Nelistar there were streamers all throughout the bridge, all sorts of baked goodies, music, sparkling apple cider, and my very own team popping out shouting, "SURPRISE!" looking ridiculous in their _Happy Winter Solstice!_ hats.

"You took longer than expected," Zelpha gushed. "We were worried we wouldn't have enough time to set up, but we've been waiting for over half an hour. You didn't get lost or anything?"

"Weren't you going to the party?" I asked, confused.

"No way!" she replied. "Winter Solstices are always spent with the few you care about most, your family, per say."

"You didn't get lost, did you?" Versa asked me, worry written all over her face. "We just meant to have fifteen minutes while you swept through the Wastelands. I was so worried that a magma beast or something would have hurt you, and we would have just sat here, not knowing."

The full danger of what I had done hit me. If anything had happened to me, I wouldn't have had my team, then they wouldn't have had me. Maybe I liked to throw around my life as if it meant nothing, but now I had people depending on me. It wasn't fair to them.

No way could I tell her where I really was, though, of she had been worried at the thought of me in the Wasteland alone. "Um…" I mumbled, stalling for time, blushing furiously.

"Yep, that's our Starling," Zach chimed in. "Stupid enough to get lost in the Wastelands after a fake rescue mission."

Then the party began.

* * *

I'm not even going to ask for reviews. I totally get it if you've given up on me, and there's no guarantee you'll get another update any sooner than this one's come. Sorry ;-(


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